Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BERND BRUNNER
The Wild Dogs of Istanbul
FROM
The Smart Set
N
O, YOU'D RATHER
not cuddle with them. They seem a little too unpredictable and unkempt
for that. And it's not tempting to project human characteristics on them either. But it is easy
to feel sorry for some of them, who bear traces of injuries, disease, and accidents. Most re-
semble one another: large, with a light brown, sometimes darker coat. Some have short legs
paired with unusually large bodies. Despite their scars, the wild dogs of Istanbul seem self-
sufficient and untroubled, as if no one could mean them any harm. You can find them every-
where: between parked cars or, early in the morning, under the chairs in front of the Starbucks
on Taksim Square. Often they just lie there and doze. Are they recovering from last night's
activities? Mostpeopledon'tseembotheredbythem,butit'sobviousthatsome,alittleuncer-
tain, take pains to avoid them. But they are not to be made fun of because of that.
Thedogs'presenceinthismetropolis isnotentirely withoutproblems.Someoftheanimals
are said to be so smart they understand traffic lights, but more often they cross streets in front
of terrified drivers, keep residents awake with their barking, or even attack someone. In fact, I
have myself observed an incident in my neighborhood, Tarlabaş1, where a youngman was lit-
erally chased bytwodogs.Hefell tothe groundanddragged himself into abarbershop. Itwas
painfultowatch,butitallhappenedsoquicklythatonecouldn'treallyintervene;besides,how
would one disperse the dogs without any adequate stick or tool? I don't know what exactly
preceded the incident, why the dogs had attacked the man in the first place. These attacks,
however,happenfarlessoftenthanonemightexpect,consideringthedogs'constantpresence.
No reliable count exists, but according to estimates, the dogs number about a hundred thou-
sand. When you come to Istanbul, you will see that this doesn't sound like an exaggeration.
The dogs' position is a strange one: they are used to having people around, and even
depend on them, but they don't live directly together with humans. Behavioral scientist Kon-
rad Lorenz, who once wrote about Istanbul's stray dogs, observed that they carefully avoid
loose small hens and newborn sheep—a lesson they learned in order to survive. Instead, they
feed themselves in two ways. First, residents in the poorer sections of the city often put their
trash bags out in front of their houses, where dogs and cats plunder them before trash trucks
cart off the remaining piles in the early morning. But more and more metal trash cans are pop-
ping up, and their content is inaccessible, at least for dogs. Second, many people follow a cus-
tom (unfamiliar to Western observers) of more or less adopting a dog and regularly feeding
it, without bringing it into their homes. Some people even make beds out of cardboard that
become a dog's regular spot in front of the house. Animals in these relationships are not full-
