A woman named Buket Özgünlü has become the guardian angel of many dogs that no one else wanted. She is at the head of an organization called Paws Holding on to Life, with which she has created a special shelter for dogs who have suffered a lot and, due to their disabilities, could not live alone on the street. In this shelter, more than 500 dogs from Turkey, many of them paralyzed or injured, find a new home where they are cared for and loved.
Buket has a special bond with these dogs because her own father is disabled, and that is what motivates her even more to help these helpless animals. She has told The Dodo that all the dogs at her shelter have been rescued from difficult situations: some were abused, others abandoned, and many suffered accidents that left them unable to move well.
These dogs had a second chance when they arrived at the Buket shelter. There they have space to play and explore, even those who need wheelchairs to get around. “They need us more. I try to take care of them as much as possible,” she said.
In addition, Buket has had a very creative idea to make their lives even happier: he has built a train for dogs using barrels with wheels and a quad. “I had been thinking about doing a project like this for a long time,” he said. Thanks to this invention, dogs can walk around the town, enjoy the fresh air and see new places, which is a great adventure for them.
They only have to load the dogs, whether they are disabled or not, to their seats and start the excursion thanks to a quad, which is what pulls the entire homemade structure. As you can see in Buket’s videos, the canines have a great time walking this way. There are even some who dare to accompany the train running.
This image is not common, so the townspeople have fallen in love with the dog train. When they see Buket and his dogs walking, they greet them with a smile from ear to ear. This canine solidarity project has not only improved the lives of the dogs, but has also brought happiness to the neighbors. “A lot of people like it, and that makes me even happier,” the woman said.
Buket knows that taking care of dogs with special needs is not an easy job and it is not always something grateful. In fact, the investment that needs to be made is much greater and the financial situation of the sanctuary is not very buoyant: “The only thing we want is to end our clinic debts, at least for 15 days.”
