The new animal laws were passed in Turkey in 2004 and implemented in 2006.  Click on the following link to read the full animal Protection Bill: http://www.divshare.com/download/5951148-1b2

The law states that all municipalities must build a clinic of some kind, employ a vet and a dog warden and must take in all the stray animals from the streets, neuter them and release them back into their environment i.e. the same place on the street from where they were taken.

Long term stays in council kennels are illegal and dogs must be released as soon as possible after neutering.

Mumin Kamaci, our Mayor, immediately organised the erection of the Didim Council Kennels, as soon as the new laws were agreed in 2004, which is surely admirable, as he is only one of very few in Turkey that did.

However due to the fact that councils are not given any financial budget at all for this purpose, it was very basic.  The 28 cages were built in the middle of a wet mud area, with no kennelling and open fronts/sides. There were small wooden pallets in each cage for the dogs to lie on and no canopy of any kind to stop the wind and rain from pelting in.  The operating room and recovery room were empty of cupboards, or anything else for that matter. There was no fridge, no food, no electricity and no water supply.

The 60 dogs that had been rounded up and stashed there all had bronchitis, and/or eye infections due to the cold, and lack of treatment because the lady vet that had been employed to oversee it, was afraid of dogs! There were dozens of pups, some only days old without mums, no milk, no kennelling for them, no blankets and no feeding bottles.  Most had contracted parvo virus or distemper.

The Didim Friends of Animals charity was formed in the winter of 2004 and immediately got to work to improve the conditions there.  Several estate agencies donated money for milk, bottles, food, a second hand fridge and blankets. The sick pups were taken to a private vet and euthanized and the charity started fundraising to put wooden kennelling into the cages and provide sacks of food for the dogs.

They worked together with the council, who provided the workers each time the charity bought some materials for improvement and after the 28 kennels were installed, fencing was erected around the kennel yard, followed by the council concreting the whole area.

A private vet was employed to oversee the council kennels and go there every morning for 2 hours to perform neutering operations, register the dogs and insert an ear tag.

The council then organised a pick up of leftover slops from a big restaurant every night, which is mixed with stale bread from a bakery and the dry food provided by the charity.

5 sections were then separated for orphan pups and feeding mums with pups and the council installed 5 kennels with 4 sections each for these areas.

The next job was to put separating mesh between the pup pens and a 2m high fence was also installed to give a large free-run area at the end of the land.

In the meantime, cupboards and furniture had been provided for the office and operating room and a smaller recovery area was made.

A canopy was then erected along the length of the 28 kennels to provide shade from the sun and shelter from the wind and rain.

The council built a small two room block which was to be made into a kitchen and depot.  From donations, the charity provided the doors, windows and tiling, plus air conditioning, solar hot water panels (after the council fixed up a water supply and electricity) and a new fridge and water machine were provided for the staff and volunteer dog walkers.

The Vet was keen to progress with his knowledge and experience and at our instigation, went to Fethiye where he was trained in the American keyhole surgery technique. This means all animals neutered have a tiny cut of less than 3cm, with one internal dissolvable stitch and can be released 24 hours after their operation, so they are not incarcerated in cages any longer than necessary.