GREAT NEWS… Ashk…. now named GiGi is officially home! Gigi was rescued from Istanbul, Turkey and came to the US in search of her forever home. GiGi has found her loving forever home with Sara and Daniel Amburgey of Crystal Lake, IL. Gigi has been in a foster to adopt arrangement with Sara and Dan for the last month. She has completely settled in and fit in perfectly with their family. Gigi now has a large fenced in yard to romp and play in and often times enjoys sun bathing. She has 4 lovely kids to fill her days with play and love. Yes, she is one lucky dog to have found such a wonderful home and I can’t imagine a more deserving dog. Her goal in life is to please her family and she asks for so little in return. She is just content to be loved.
I knew she was home when I visited her 2 weeks ago and she didn’t try to leave with me. She looked so content and at home. I could tell she was very happy and that she was very loved.
Thank you to all of you who have helped Gigi along the way and a special thanks to Sara and Dan for making Gigi’s dreams come true!
#ISDF #ISavedALife #TurkishRescuesRock #AdoptDontShop
Pre-Adoption Post
Ashk means love in Turkish and it’s no wonder why this sweetheart was gifted with such a name: every time volunteers entered Istanbul’s Bolluca shelter – easily considered one of the most neglected animal shelters in the nation – Ash made herself known! No shy, retiring, wary girl was she – no, not Ash. Despite never knowing “the good life” of a home and family, this precious soul held only trust and love in her heart for humans. Why, when they had rarely shown her kindness in her two years? No one could say…
Ash quickly ingratiated herself with the volunteers at Bolluca, and has continued to do so for two years since she has never once given up hope of finding human companionship. She will surpass even first dibs at precious food to instead spend her time leaping on, licking, and loving up any humans within reach.
Hence, her name – a perfect fit for a dog who seeks only one thing in life: LOVE.
Ash is an adorable, tan, two-year-old, 40-pound spayed female. She was originally found on the streets of Istanbul when she was a year old, which is how she ended up at Bolluca shelter like so many other street dogs.
In Turkey, as in many places in the world, street dogs are considered lower class. Pet owners wealthy enough to do so buy purebreds that are often imported to the nation – while outside their doors, so many lovely dogs will wait forever – mostly in vain – for a family to call their own.
Our rescue partners in Turkey described Ash’s life to is, breaking our hearts.
When they first went to Bolluca – one of the most neglected animal shelters in Istanbul – they found appalling conditions. The animals there depend almost entirely on volunteers who visit the shelter once or twice a week because only two or three people are employed full time to care for 600-700 dogs at any given time. The dogs are housed in a crowded one-acre area, fenced in all sides, with little shelter available from the elements. They roam and pace this small space. Fights, as you can imagine, are frequent – and there is nowhere for vulnerable, soft-hearted dogs to hide.
No volunteer leaves that place without shedding a few tears. Many dogs have been there for months or years, with no hope of ever escaping the misery. Tears flow most freely for those who must leave Ash behind, because her desperate appeal for help is so candid and heart-wrneching.
Ash earned a reputation for literally trying to “hug” volunteers into staying at the shelter, in a bid to get just one more pet, one more kind word. When volunteers would prepare to depart, her abject misery was always evident.
In June 2015, our rescue partners visited Bolluca, meeting Ash for the first time. Here she was – a terrified dog, gentle-natured and trusting, friendly to all humans and other dogs – yet because of her sensitive and sweet nature, she was constantly bitten and pursued by aggressive dogs. Her submissive sweetness and the shelter’s lack of escape meant that Ash lived in constant fear and persecution.
Our rescue partners knew they MUST save this poor soul. Even the brightest of lights will dim in unending darkness…
Over one month later, they finally succeeded in ‘springing’ Ash from her virtual prison. A happier dog was never to be seen! She leapt into our partners’ car with joy, and her tail never stopped wagging – not through the long drive, nor the visit to the vet’s office where she received multiple pokes and sticks, nor through a bath and long overdue grooming!
There was no place for her to go at the time – foster homes are in short supply in Turkey for street dogs – so our rescue partners literally confined her to their yard as a temporary measure. Ash’s sweet nature shined through, as she was totally tolerant and even friendly towards the resident dogs and cats there, despite all she had been through for so long at Bolluca shelter.
Since then, our rescue partners have looked for a good home for Ash – yes, for almost 9 months! Few appreciate these street dogs, known as ‘street mutts’, in Turkey.
At long last, a man came forward and said he would take her. The shelter had their reservations, but the man seemed earnest. Sure enough – as it turned out, he had only wanted a guard dog for his factory. Ash was a roaring failure at this sort of job, obviously…and a week later, he was back, dumping Ash with our rescue partners. Worse, she appeared – for the first time, ever – to be frightened and miserable.
If our partners were not heartbroken over Ash enough already, this sealed the deal. Luckily, space opened up in a loving foster home at just that time, and Ash went into foster care. She blossomed beautifully, and her true colors came out to shine again almost immediately.
Ash is an extremely mellow and affectionate girl. She does wonderfully with people, obviously! She also does well as with other dogs. A friendly playmate would be great for her! She is very adaptable to new environments, and very clever – a quick learner who wants only to please! Ash is housebroken, extremely gentle, and well-behaved. She has been exposed to all kinds of people, children, and even lived with cats, doing well with them all. She will be in paradise if she can find the perfect home with a family who will shower her with all the love she has waited so long for!
Ash is clever, eager to learn, housebroken, quiet, affectionate, and very calm. She has traveled a long, long way to find a home of her own! If you are interested in learning more about Ash, please call Dawn Trimmel at 414-426-4148.