Let’s Adopt! started in Istanbul, Turkey four years ago. From the beginning the goal of the group was none other than rescuing animals.
Fulya and myself had been saving animals for years and we had reached a point where we literally had run out of friends where to place our rescues. Furthermore, our friends didn’t seem to share our same passion. In my case, they were mostly bankers, brokers and lawyers undoubtedly interested in many things, being animal rescue NOT one of them.
So we set up to create our own community, a community that shared our same ideals and for whom animal rescue wouldn’t be an unpleasant subject to talk about in the dinner table, but something that really mattered. The goal was, very simply, to find people compassionate, capable and intelligent enough to pass our basic criteria for adoption,
Four years ago, animal organizations in Turkey were small, disorganized, and in many cases populated by people more interested in appearing in pictures and interviews than in actually saving any lives. As a matter of fact, with one or two exceptions, none of those organizations was actually doing any rescue, if by rescue you understand the actual process of rescuing, providing with medical treatment and finding a forever home for the animal. In those days, there were just no efforts to rehome locally. At most, animal lovers would pick up a dog from the street and dump him in a factory, farm, or one of the absolutely inadequate shelters that can be found all over town. Sadly, this practice continues….
Let’s Adopt! showed Turkish animal lovers that there was a different way. That a blind cat or a paralyzed dog, didn’t have to end up his days rotting in someone’s basement, or tied to a chain in a disgusting shelter run by a glorified animal hoarder.. And so we rescued… and we help others rescue… thousands of animals were saved.
Our efforts created two types of reaction amongst two different kind of people. On one side Let’s Adopt Turkey built a most impressive network of compassionate, logical, open minded and sophisticate animal rescuers, ready to go to any extent to rescue an animal. We are proud to say that the best animal rescuers in Turkey are members of our organization and that we are shaping the way things are done in this country. In that buy xanax reviews respect, there is a Before and there will be an After Let’s Adopt.
As expected, our work also created a strong reaction amongst some. And so, a motley crew of lunatics, people lacking any kind of education and knowledge, individuals with the sort of IQ usually found in rocks and minerals, started creating stories that only a demented person would give credit to. And so they set out to try to do their best to convince people that Let’s Adopt! is not an animal rescue, it’s in fact, a chain of Chinese restaurants serving three legged dogs and cats, blind animals and other handicapped pets to European citizens tired of their national cuisine. And then there is the laboratory rumor… mental masturbation for the crazy and inadequate that cannot believe someone would be able to achieve what none of them ever could.
Sadly, many people here believed it and we to spend increasing amount of time explaining ourselves or in the most extreme of cases, taking people to court.
And so, we have reached a point where we have to take a decision, to continue concentrating on rescuing and making change, not only in Turkey, but in every country we operate, or to spend our precious time bickering and communicating (in Turkish) with a gang of brainless ultranationalist whackos that could barely recognize their own reflection in a mirror.
As of last week the Let’s Adopt Turkey Page is closed. Whilst our rescue operations in Turkey will continue and grow bigger in size and difficulty, we cannot afford to dedicate further efforts and resources to educate the broader Turkish Animal Lover Community.
Those that have what it takes and wish to remain “connected” with our group and ideas will find us, and will be welcome to join us in Let’s Adopt Global.
The rest, please join Hayvan Severler… and God help you.
In a not so distant future, we will be looking at these days and smile with nostalgia, until then…
Note: The comment section in our blog is closed. The goal is to increase the number of posts shared on Facebook and Twitter. I would please request to share this posts in your profile and adding your own personal commentary in your wall.. I believe this will increase the spread of our appeals.