Operation Home

Goldens Coming to Central Texas in November from Istanbul

They're known as Turkey's Forgotten Dogs. Upwards of 50,000 dogs are homeless and roaming the streets or living out their lives in one of 32 shelters in Istanbul, Turkey. It's estimated that approximately 500 of these orphaned dogs are Golden Retrievers.

Background

Goldens "used to be" a status symbol in Istanbul. They were imported from Germany and England and sold in pet stores. They lived in outdoor gardens since dogs are considered unclean and can’t be inside.  But then they became too popular and their desirability was lost. They were turned loose into the streets to fend for themselves, joining the packs of other dogs foraging for food in dumpsters, trash cans or, if they're lucky, from the bags of kibble dumped on the ground by concerned volunteers. They're mostly young – under 5 years old.  The older ones either succumb to the elements or are killed by the feral dog packs.

How did Gold Ribbon Rescue get involved?

A concerned American living in Istanbul saw these roaming dogs and contacted Adopt A Golden Atlanta asking for help. After an exhaustive 4 month process, the first 36 Goldens set foot on American soil earlier this year. An additional 15 were brought over in June.

GRR heard of this need and decided that we must join this rescue effort. Across the country, purebred Goldens surrendered to rescue groups have dwindled but adoptees willing to open up their homes and their hearts for this wonderful breed has not declined. What a perfect match, getting dogs that desperately need a home matched up with families desperately wanting a Golden. This national effort, in which many Golden Retriever organizations are involved, is also supported by the The Golden Retriever Club of America National Rescue Committee. Our focus and commitment remains to rescue every Golden, whether in shelters, or owners turning in their pets, to these Turkey Goldens coming from Istanbul. Current waiting and approved applicants will be considered first.

How can you help?

In order to continue to save these Goldens in Turkey, we'll need your continued monetary support. The costs incurred to bring these dogs includes such items as airfare, transport, vet care, passports, and crates, as well as, the cost of spending 2 weeks in the Istanbul shelter being vetted.

♦ All of our 2015 Turkey Goldens are sponsored. If you would like to support the Turkey Goldens, please consider one of the below options.

♦ Make a General Donation at the FundRazr website.

♦ Go to the GRR boutique: Turkey Dogs Products.

Please share this information to your friends and family. The more money we can raise, the more Goldens we can rescue.

Adoption Criteria

We want all our dogs to find loving forever homes. Because they've spent so much time either on the streets, in the forests, or in shelters, we've had to set mandatory adoption criteria..

• Adoption fee is $600.00.
• Someone who will be home most, if not all of the time.
• A fenced yard - no invisible fences.
• Children in the household must be 8 years or over.
• One or more friendly dogs in the home is desirable, but we will consider an only-dog home.
• Adoptees must live in central or south Texas.

Interested adopters should follow GRR’s regular adoption process. Click here to read our adoption process and to fill out an application. If you are an approved adopter who is waiting for a golden, notify your GRR Matchmaker if you want to be considered for a Turkey Golden.

See Our Turkey Goldens

Click here to meet the Turkey Goldens.

Visit the Facebook Turkey Goldens webpage.

Watch the Turkey Golden Video.