Winter is coming, and as temperatures drop it’s important to remember that if you’re unbearably cold, so is your pet.
It’s a good idea to keep your pets indoors when it gets freezing… but what about stray animals who don’t have a home? Where do they go to keep warm?
Luckily, some communities have stepped up to keep their local strays safe from the harsh weather… like these people in Istanbul, who found a very clever housing solution for dogs with no place else to go.
Istanbul, Turkey has a particularly large population of street animals, and it is part of the culture for people to watch over the strays.
In January 2017, the city was hit by an arctic blast with snow and icy temperatures.
But not willing to let the animals go unsheltered, they found a place for them to stay the night: a shopping mall!
Not only did they let the stray dogs come indoors to sleep, every dog got their own space with a cardboard mat and a comfy blanket.
Three kindhearted strangers set it all up. A man named Ali Çelik saw what they were doing and was inspired.
“It was fabulous,” Çelik told The Dodo. “The people were there to help the animals, not so that others could see them helping.” All three people opted to remain anonymous.
They weren’t the only ones opening their doors to animals during the winter storm. A store named Penti let stray dogs stay the night:
It’s easy to imagine how these homeless dogs might’ve suffered if they had been outdoors through this frigid weather.
Thank you to these businesses for allowing the dogs into their space for the night! They look so cozy and rested.
As the winter arrives, it’s a message we could all take to heart. Share this inspiring story!
