Back in October my friend Niamh and I travelled to Köyceğiz Dog Sanctuary in Turkey to volunteer and offer our help at a non-profit shelter that cares for over 450 dogs.

For a little bit of background as to why we decided to volunteer here (other than the fact we are both huge dog lovers). Back in July 2024, Turkey passed a new law that drastically changed how stray dogs are managed. Previously, the country followed a Catch–Neuter–Return approach, where dogs were neutered, vaccinated, and then safely returned to their original areas. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case.

Under the new regulations, all stray dogs must now be captured and kept in shelters until they are adopted. While this might sound positive at first, the harsh reality is that Turkey has an estimated 4 million stray dogs — yet the country’s shelters can only accommodate around 100,000 dogs in total, which is just 2–3% of those in need. The result? Many dogs face euthanasia simply because there is nowhere for them to go.

Köyceğiz Dog Sanctuary is one of the many shelters across Turkey fighting to give these dogs a safe and loving environment while working tirelessly to find them forever homes.

Niamh and I took 3 suitcases full of donations with essential supplies such as toys, treats, vitamins, food, muzzles, grooming products, collars, harnesses, and leads. We also raised this money to help with the general shelter costs.

This GoFundMe was originally for anyone who wanted to contribute — if anyone didn't have time to donate physical items.

Since being back home in England, I have continued to try and raise more funds to go directly towards the travel costs for some of the dogs in the shelter.

Any future donations will now go towards the cost of getting these dogs off to start a better life in England. Every contribution, no matter how small, will go directly towards improving the lives of the dogs at Köyceğiz Dog Sanctuary.

Thank you so much for your kindness and support. ❤️