Next to the network of the highways that crisscross Turkey, among the lush forests or mountain peaks that dot the country, large stray dogs are a common sight. Most are pale white Akbaş dogs or Kangal shepherds, with their distinctive dark muzzle, pale golden coat and large bodies designed to herd livestock, although on the streets of Istanbul they are more commonly found lazing outside coffee shops, rotund and docile from a lifetime of treats.
In cities at least, the stray dogs are popular enough to be seen as part of the architecture. One particularly large and sleepy example that dozes outside an ice-cream shop on Istanbul’s main shopping street has become a local celebrity nicknamed “The Boulder”, complete with a string of rave reviews left by delighted tourists. The dog is marked as an Istanbul tourist attraction on Google Maps, which features a recommendation to avoid petting him.
Despite their welcome presence on the streets in some parts, Turkey’s estimated 4 million stray dogs have become the focus of a furious national debate. Last December, a 10-year-old boy was mauled by a pack of strays while walking to school, prompting president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to pledge that the government would find a solution. “It is our duty to protect the rights of our people harmed by stray dogs,” he said.
In late July, Turkish lawmakers worked overnight to push through a last-minute bill they claimed would resolve the issue of stray dogs, quickly sowing the seeds of outrage among opposition groups and animal rights activists. The new law, called the “massacre law” by its opponents, requires already underfunded and crowded Turkish shelters to take in strays to be vaccinated, spayed or neutered before putting them up for adoption, adding that any that are ill or pose a risk to humans will be euthanised. Mayors who fail to comply can face penalties, including up to two years in prison.
The new law quickly proved just as divisive as the dogs’ presence, pitting Turks who view their country as a nation of animal lovers where street strays are treated well, against supporters of the state, who say decisive action is needed for public safety. Proponents of the law claim that stray dogs are a blight, with Erdoğan calling them “a problem that no other developed country has”, and pointing to a need to control the fabric of city life at street level. Opposition activists have united against the law, calling on the authorities to properly enforce previous legislation – also introduced by Erdoğan – which calls on local councils to vaccinate and neuter the dogs, rather than threatening penalties and a cull.
At a protest in Istanbul, where police quickly surrounded demonstrators to assess whether their placards met their approval, a large crowd chanted “get your hands off our animals”.
Zeynep Tekin said she had turned out to protest because she feared the crackdown on stray animals represents the state’s latest effort to control public life, worried about where it might lead. The government, she said, should instead show care by properly funding municipal shelters to improve conditions, which activists believe would prove most effective.
“This is about much more than an animal rights issue … this is a war between the Turkish government and the oppressed,” she said, concerned that the authorities could seek to remove other minority groups from public life if this new law went unchallenged.
The same exuberance permeated a gathering of hundreds of animal rights and leftwing activists, with some eager to unite around a cause that has fuelled their longstanding discontent with the conservative shift under two decades of AKP rule. Others said they were focused entirely on the dogs, as they waved approved placards showing puppies alongside Turkish flags. “We’re here to defend the right to life,” said protester Tulin Yeniçeri. “This isn’t anything political.”
Longtime volunteer İnci Kutay recalled her time at a municipal shelter in Istanbul, where she described the “terrible conditions” of just two square metres of space for each dog. Sending more animals to these facilities was a death sentence, she said, and one she feared would be enacted brutally due to low budgets.
“This is why we object to the new law – the municipalities don’t cover the costs for the animals currently in your care. How are they going to do this for the ones they collect? At least if they are released they have a chance for a good life in the neighbourhood,” she said.
Proponents of the new law include Murat Pinar, who founded the Safe Streets Association after his daughter died when she was hit by a truck while running away from stray dogs in the town of Antalya. He said he wanted an end to what he called the “disorderly conduct” of the protests against the new law.
Previous measures to curb the problem weren’t enough, he said, calling the protesters members of “marginal groups like feminists, LGBTQ and even some groups that are considered terrorist organisations in our country”.
