The Turkish resort was amazed by the abundance of homeless dogs

About 5,000 people live in Beldibi. The town is located in a narrow, 6 km long coastline between the spectacular Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean. Beldibi is one big street with hotels, restaurants, bars, shops. From the town to Kemer, about 19 kilometers.

As soon as I left the hotel, I saw two big dogs on the street. Next to them was a man and a woman. I thought they were their pets. But the couple went and went down and the dogs followed us. Only when the four -legged people moved with us to the other side of the street did I realize that these were not the animals seen. But then I couldn’t imagine that there were quite a few homeless dogs in Beldibi.

Both dogs followed us all the way to the sea. At first it was a bit uncomfortable, but we quickly made sure they were calm, friendly. Later, we saw these and other stray dogs every day. They did not pose a danger, they never even died, but they liked to follow.

Osman, an employee of one travel agency, claimed that dogs who wandered the streets of Beldibio did not give holidaymakers any discomfort. « Don’t be afraid, they are really friendly and never bite, » Osman said. However, he did not explain where in Beldibi so many stray dogs.

I also had to visit nearby towns – Kemer and Gothic, but they didn’t see the stray dogs. True, in Kemer, I noticed one puppy who has no hosts.

From Beldibi to the goiniuk (about 10 km), you can take a bus for € 1.50 and Kemer for 2 euros.

In July last year, the Turkish parliament approved a law aimed at removing millions of stray dogs from the streets of the country. The law allows quadrupeds to fall asleep if they look aggressive or sick. How that law works – it’s hard to say. It remained dissatisfied with the animal defenders, and the opposition announced that its mayors would not comply with the law.

There were many homeless dogs in Turkey in 2024-about 4 million. In Turkey, stray animals living on the street are very loved.