“The friendship of a dog, a cat or any other animal is like a silent worship.”
PatiPark
PatiPark Ankara started in 2015 in İmrahor Valley with the feeding of 50 stray dogs and has now become the most meaningful project in our lives. Women are mature and have feeding, clothing and housing instincts, and so it is no surprise that this project is being launched by four women.
The idea grew out of our efforts to feed the many stray dogs that were being left to die at the outskirts of the city, although there was no planning or programming to begin with. In time, we came to understand that merely providing them with food was not enough, as like all creatures, they mated and multiplied; they required shelter against the cold in the winter, and against the heat in the summer; they needed a clean and sterile environment in which to raise their puppies; and they needed better nourishment and health care – in short, the basic needs.
Starting out with these needs in mind, we moved our operation to a tree-lined valley where we built sheds for shelter while planning and implementing a more systematic feeding program. We asked for help from various animal clinics and started a sterilization program to curb the uncontrolled breeding. We then started advertising on social media to find homes for the animals, where possible.
Our works to date have left us exhausted, both morally and financially, and it can be quite sad sometimes, but we are happy to have established areas where stray dogs can live in a natural environment, away from danger. Our center is called PatiPark, which is in 10 different locations along a 5km road where we are housing around 500 dogs.
Naturally, keeping all of this going is not easy. We can feed them with dry food only on three days a week (51 packages), given the costs involved, while on the other days we feed them only with cooked chicken (1200 kg).
It is very difficult to keep on top of the feeding and financial demands of so many animals with only a handful of volunteers, but we do our best, organizing fairs such as the biannual Casetta PUB support concerts and the sale of various goods we produce for PatiPark.
As the PatiPark Team, one of our objectives is to raise awareness of the plight of these animals in the eyes of the public, and especially in children. We organize occasional seminars and conferences in schools to try to develop an understanding of the love and friendship animals can bring, and we believe that if a public loves and protects its animals, then it will be more thoughtful and sensitive in other issues.
We know that if the feeding and healthcare costs of PatiPark, which we have come to call “HOME”, cannot be guaranteed, then our efforts will have been in vain, and all will be lost. For this reason, we need to secure the necessary funding to ensure we can continue to provide food and healthcare to these animals, and raise awareness in this field.
Since the right to life is sacred, it is our duty to maintain certain standards to provide decent lives for these stray dogs, and this can only happen with your support, the animal lovers!
We need everyone to be aware of the plight of these animals, and we need your support. This is a long and exhausting road, but with your help, we can save more.
SUPPORT US…
