Donating to Animal Shelters in Turkey...

Hi everyone!

It has only been about 10 days since I started preparing my blog and it has been a crazy and busy time for my mom, so she hasn't had time to prepare posts as frequently as she would like.

As you all probably heard, just one week ago today, a earthquake measuring 7.2 on the richter scale hit the city of Van and its surroundings in the eastern part of Turkey. Many many lives have been lost (over 601 + to date), many people have been injured (over 4,000 +), 188 people were rescued from under the wreckages and countless people are homeless, or because of the after shocks (over 1,000 to date) even if the residents homes are safe, they are too scared to enter their homes.

It will take a long time to recover from this disaster as many buildings not up to code have either collapsed or have been condemned.

Slowly the country is starting to recoup from this disaster and everyone is doing their part by either volunteering, making donations or sending supplies to the area - on the personal, governmental or private businesses basis. Also, many countries from abroad have also sent supplies or made donations.

My mom also prepared a post at her own blog (http://danislogbookdestinationistanbulbeyond.blogspot.com) where she gave people living in Turkey and abroad information on how they could help.

Since I am from the 4-legged world, my heart also went out to the animals living in Van. Naturally, the residents of these cities are busy trying to recover and it is understandable that they could forget about "us" during their trials and tribulations. However, I am proud to say that many dogs were at the site to help the rescue teams in their efforts to locate survivors under the collapsed buildings. Also, my mom heard that a few major dog food brands sent supplies to my less fortunate friends in Van - so thank you to them!

So, I decided to prepare a post on how you can help "my" friends in Van and in fact, all over Turkey. Unfortunately, there are many dogs and cats living on the streets of Turkey and this is a major major problem! There are many shelters (government run and private), but they either don't have enough funding to deal with the high population of strays.

I want to ONCE again remind all potential animal owners... ONLY purchase a dog or cat IF you know you have the patience, love and feel responsible enough to handle what it takes to be an animal owner. Remember... we never really grow up and move out of the house... we don't go to school or have the ability to earn a living. SO... we are TOTALLY dependent on YOU - our human parents to take care of us! Actually, it's really not that difficult, but it is harder for some than others! Many adults purchase dogs at pet shops (now don't get me started on them!) for their kids and then once they realize they really can't take care of them - leave them on the street IF they can't find foster parents (and in most cases they can't!). Can you imagine the trauma? One minute you were living in a nice warm and friendly home and then the next minute you are on the street... more than likely you will not be able to survive on the streets for long...

So, let me now get off my soapbox and give you some information on what you can do to help!!!

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HAYSEV - short for "Hayvan Severler" (or Animal Lovers) is a non-profit organization located in Ankara, our state capital. My mom stumbled upon them by accident when a "friend" of hers shared a link on Facebook. They don't have a website, but you can find them on facebook . What they do is try to re-home and also treat cats and dogs that have been abandoned. On their FB page, you will find their bank account if you would like to make a cash donation to this organization.



They don't have a website with the HAYSEV name, but they do have one called Kolay Mama (easy food) www.kolaymama.com. The website is currently only available in Turkish, but when my mom spoke to one of their representatives, she was informed that it will also be available in English shortly.

This is how the website works: you can purchase products (food, toys, etc.) for your own pets from the categories listed in the left hand column, or make contribution to an animal shelter under the called BARINAKLARA BAĞIŞ  ( which means "donations to animal shelters") located in the right hand column.

Once you click onto this icon, you will see a page with a bunch of foodstuffs or blankets that you can purchase and have sent to an animal shelter and no shipment cost will be added to your order. You can decide which shelter you want your order to be sent to or you can leave it up to HAYSEV. Payments can be made via a credit card (Mastercard and Visa) or via a bank transfer. Then Haysev will send you an invoice via email and also confirm your order! Also, you need not leave in Turkey to place an order - the representative at HAYSEV also informed my mom that they have customers from abroad too! 

My mom has already used Kolaymama several times to send food and she has left it up to Haysev as they know better which shelters have the most needs.

Good job HAYSEV!!!

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The following is another website you can use to send food and more to animal shelters throughout the country: Kangurum



Kangurum is the online website of Migros, a leading major supermarket chain in Turkey. Not only can you order all sorts of products for your own home, they also have link with a list of animal shelters throughout the country that you can select to send goods to - from cat and dog food, to cleaning products and more.

The website is also available in English but most parts are still only in Turkish. To find the link for donations to animal shelters, scroll down on the main page until you see the headings "announcements" and "donation campaigns". Then you will notice an image of a "dog and cat". Click onto this image and it will direct you to the page for donations and this section is in English. Again, Kangurum does not charge for shipping to animal shelters and will send you an invoice and confirmation of your order via email.

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My mom doesn't know of any other organizations where you can purchase food to send to animal shelters, but below is a list of some reputable non-profit organizations that accept cash donations and do their part to help homeless animals in Turkey.

• Barinak Gönüllüleri ve Hayvanlara Yaşam Hakkı Derneği (Association of Shelter Volunteers and Animal Rights to Live) www.bgd.org.tr (website only in Turkish)
• Evsiz Hayvanları ve Doğayı Koruma Derneği (Homeless Animals & the Environment Protection Foundation) www.evsizhayvanlari.org (website in Turkish & English)
• HAÇIKO - www.haciko.org

Dear everyone... this is just the first of many posts that I plan on writing on this subject! I want to make my blog fun and interesting and share my own personal experiences with you, but I also want to help those who are less fortunate than I am and don't live in a loving and caring home.

IF only ONE of you visit one the sites I mentioned above and make a donation... I know I am on the right path!!!!

Thank you for reading my post and if you do make a donation or send food, would you share this with me by sending a comment?? THANK YOU! I would really appreciate that and know that I have at least been successful in helping my 4-legged friends!

Till the next time,

Luka