One of the main problems that street dogs encounter is harsh weather. Whether it’s the scorching heat of summer or the blistering cold of winter, these dogs suffer from the extreme temperatures. Sadly, they don’t have a home that they can seek refuge in. This problem becomes even worse when a natural calamity happens, like a snowstorm.
Thankfully, some kind-hearted people go out of their way to keep others safe. Like this mall in Istanbul, which opened their doors and let stray dogs in during a snow storm. With the help of the community, some of Istanbul’s estimated 150,000 homeless dogs found warmth and shelter for the night.
Taking the dogs in
Volunteers, coordinating with the administration and workers of Atrium Mall in Bakirkoy, herded the dogs inside and gave them blankets and food. They even stayed inside the mall all throughout the snowstorm to calm the dogs down and make them feel safe. The dogs were given ample spaces, cardboards to lie on and wrapped them in blankets to keep them warm. The dogs were obviously happy to be safe and be with people that took care of them.
At the end of the snowstorm, all the dogs were re-released. Although it pained the volunteers not to be able to give them a more permanent home, it was challenging to find shelters that can accommodate them all. Despite that, all the volunteers went home with a sense of satisfaction knowing that the dogs did not suffer from the biting cold weather.
It’s very heartwarming to know that there are still a lot of kind-hearted people out there open to sharing their time and resources to save helpless dogs. Hopefully, there will be more people like them, and there will be more homes willing to adopt stray dogs. Then we don’t have to be scared and worry about them every time a natural calamity happens.
Source: Funky Smile via Youtube
