GREAT NEWS! The beautiful Luna – now Olive is going to her fur-ever home. Barb and Bob Frazee of Lombard, Ill and 11 yr old lab sister -Tillie, are so happy to have this sweet baby as part of their family. Luna was rescued from the streets of Istanbul, Turkey ….what a journey she has taken to find her own home.
Luna’s story from the rescuer:
This sweet girl’s name is LUNA. In ancient Roman mythology, Luna is the divine Moon.
Last September, I was in Istanbul for a short visit. I woke up early every morning to stretch my legs and drink in the sights and sounds of the city, and to get fresh bread for a traditional summer breakfast
For a week, every time I left the apartment and turned the first corner, a black, muddy fur-ball greeted me with a plaintive look, a wagging tail, and the invitation to pet her belly by rolling on the ground. “Alright” I thought, “how does she know that I am an animal person? This poor creature is not in a good situation.” An old man, likely a watchman for one of the apartment buildings, told me that “she hangs around here” between puffs on his cigarettes. I asked “Does anyone look after her?” he added calmly “Well! Some people feed her.” I asked again and again “Who? Where? When?” None of the replies were to my satisfaction and the old man soon tired of answering them. As I went on my way to the bakery I could not shake the nagging feelings that something was very wrong about this picture. The sweet black dog was far too fragile to survive life in the streets. It is too common in Turkey to hear, “this dog hangs around here”, “people feed her/him” “oh it’s a neighborhood’s dog”, or “she/he just a street dog.”
She had a tag on her ear, which is a sign that the city took her in their animal care facility, spayed her, gave her the proper shots and released her back into the streets.
This is a story of one dog among thousands of street dogs of Istanbul. Visiting Istanbul as a dog lover is extremely frustrating. I am never able to enjoy sightseeing without a dog or a cat in need catching the corner of my eye. I spent my time saving as many as I can. However, we all know it is impossible for one person to make all this happen… I stumbled upon Luna on the street of a good neighborhood in Istanbul. I had to save her as she would not be able to survive a winter outdoors as a golden retriever. She was already trying to use cars as a shelter. On the night of my birthday, I called a close friend of mine who rushed to save us. She took the dog and me to meet Yildiz. Together we named the sweet dog Luna since she was rescued at night under a full moon.
Yildiz is a wonderful woman who lives alone with over 20 dogs on the outskirts of Istanbul. She doesn’t believe in euthanizing animals. Instead, she provides them all the care they need to alleviate their suffering. Some of the dogs that live in her rescue are legless, crippled, and even completely disabled. One dog, who was half-dead after being shot several times, is so disabled that she can only move her head. Yildiz saved her life and takes very good care of her. Even this dog seems happy just being there. Other dogs take turns lying by her side to give and receive comfort. The energy in that entire house is beyond fabulous.
There are very few in Istanbul like Yildiz, who devote their lives to animals. The situation for animals in Turkey is generally quite pitiful. People believe only dogs purchased in pet stores can live indoors. Often, puppies are purchased while they are small and cute, and as they grow older and rambunctious they are soon dumped on the streets or forests.
Luna is a one-year old girl with a calm and sweet demeanor. She weighs a healthy 45 pounds now and is spayed. She is a very special dog with a kind and loving soul. She has a gorgeous, soft black pearl coat. She is great with other dogs and cats.
Luna arrived into Chicago on January 29th to find her forever home. She is now in a lovely foster home near Rockford, IL. Luna would do best in a home with a fenced in yard and another dog to play with. She has a loving and calm temperament and loves to be outside and in the company of other dogs.
If you are interested in adopting LUNA, please contact Dawn Trimmel at info@istreetdog.com . You can find our application here.