We were made aware of a horrific incident at Canakkale Municipal Shelter. Seven Pitbulls were kept together in a free roaming enclosure. We are told that the dogs were left unattended, this is disputed by the municipality.
We suspect that the dogs have been victims of dog fighting rings, some of them are heavily scarred.
A fight broke out in the enclosure resulting in the death of two dogs.
The remaining dogs were all facing destruction following the incident.
We took the dogs to safety.
We were able to offer them a kennel & a run each & the opportunity for rehabilitation.
TRIGGER WARNING – THE VIDEO IS GRAPHIC & DISTRESSING PLEASE CONSIDER THIS BEFORE PLAYING – IT IS DEEPLY UPSETTING
The municipality agreed to sign the dogs over & promised that they would deliver them the following day.
The dogs were sent with a driver in the back of a van, a stressful situation for any dog, particularly stressful for dogs that had just experienced the incident that happened the day before.
The dogs should have received mild sedation & been transported in individual travel crates. this did not happen.
I am not sure why trained professionals would think it okay to transport dogs in this manner & am trying very hard to dismiss claims that the municipality had no concern for the welfare of the dogs prior to the event or after the event.
A fight broke out in the van which the driver completely ignored, leaving a distressed Nilufer to deal with the situation which she did in a calm, educated manner. The dog who had been attacked suffered bite wounds. He recovered from his ordeal quickly, is on antibiotics & has been discharged in to our care.
TRIGGER WARNING – THE VIDEO IS GRAPHIC & DISTRESSING PLEASE CONSIDER THIS BEFORE PLAYING – IT IS DEEPLY UPSETTING
(We did not record the following video, it was given to us after the event)
On arrival the four remaining dogs (the fifth dog was with the vet ) were each checked over & assigned a kennel & run.
The kennels are not what we wish for them in the long-term, but for now they are the best option we have. And certainly much better than a bullet in the brain which is what would have happened if we hadn’t stepped in.
The white dog who was the main participant in the fight was in a high state of excitement for some time following the incident. It was not possible to bathe him right away & even after eating (he threw the food around & shook the bowl) he was on high alert. Even when napping (he has a bed inside the kennel) he was quickly alert & growling.
It is absolutely heart breaking to see what man has done to these dogs, they were not born for this, they were trained to react to certain circumstances in a violent way. It makes me so ashamed of my species to witness the behaviour that has been provoked in the dogs & I shudder to think of the tactics used to make the dogs this way. I can’t even get close to thinking about what they have been forced to do or what they have been through.
This video was taken very soon after the dogs arrived, you will see different levels of excitement in each dog as you view the video. The white dog who was the main participant in the violence in the van was unpredictable & alert & growling even when resting after the fight. he is fit & well, the blood stains that you see on his coat are from the other dog. It was not wise at this point to do anything other than allow him to settle down.
This video was taken a short time later, as you can see the white dog settled down enough to have a shower.
All dogs are in good health & safe, we are a no kill shelter, no dog will ever lose their life at our hands.
Every dog deserves a chance at life & although these dogs will never be able to leave us, we will make sure that, in the fullness of time they have a safe & happy life.
Below you will see a video of the dog who was the main participant in the violence in the van. Nilufer is now able to touch him, he is eating normally & sleeping peacefully in his bed.
Thank you for understanding & thank you for supporting dogs who have been horribly abused.
Statement From Canakkale Municipal Shelter
Translation – With Thanks to our Turkish Friends
There was a need to make a statement regarding the sad event that took place in the street animal care and rehabilitation center of our municipality on March 27, 2022. With the amendment made on July 14, 2021 in the Law No. 5199, 6 dog breeds were defined as banned, and the owners were given a period until January 14, 2022 to register and sterilize. At the end of this period, it was obligatory to keep banned dogs in shelters which were not registered and not met the conditions stipulated in the law. In this context, banned dogs were brought to our Stray Animal Care and Rehabilitation Center belonging to Çanakkale Municipality, both from the Central District and the surrounding municipalities and other settlements. In our Stray Animal Care and Rehabilitation Center, we have special observation rooms for the sick and for animals which were sterilized. The banned dogs brought to our center were sterilized and vaccinated, and the care of those whose procedures were completed was primarily carried out in individual cages. As the number of banned breed dogs increased and the observation rooms used for stray animals for treatment and other health issues became not enough, these animals were taken to the section where only banned dogs were found. It has not been kept together with other dog breeds. In this section, feeding, care and health checks are carried out regularly. These banned dogs have been living in this section for more than 2 months and had no problems been encountered. It should certainly be noted that, banned dogs currently held in our shelter were bought, might even have been used in dog fight for financial gain, and taught to act aggressively while living under terrible conditions. In brief, they became what they are because of people. Instead of fulfilling the obligations required by the law, such as spaying, neutering, etc., and their so-called owners abandoned them to the streets. We, as Çanakkale Municipality, did not leave those poor animals unattended and unclaimed and fulfilled our commitments including sterilization, vaccination, treatment, nutrition and shelter. The collection of and care provided for banned street dogs are coordinated efforts carried out within the knowledge and under the supervision General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks. In order to investigate this tragic event that occurred yesterday, the footage recorded by the cameras in our rehabilitation center that monitor the area have begun to be examined. To the attention of the public, respectfully.” Canakkale Municipality Directorate of Veterinary Affairs