A sweet dog, named Hercules, was living at a garbage dump. Every time someone came to dump their belongings, the dog would run over to greet them. In his own way, he was asking them to take him home.
Sadly, no one did. Maybe they viewed him like trash because of where he was living and how dirty he was. The smart dog would know which cars belonged to people who would come and feed him and he would run happily over, jump up to the window and say hello.
Amanda Cunefare, a volunteer for Rescuers Without Borders (RWB), an organization that rescues dogs in Turkey, told The Dodo, “He’d jump up on the windows of the car, and he clung to every person. He was a people dog.”
Shockingly, he wasn’t the only dog living at the landfill. More than 800 other strays lived there too. It was a hard life. The conditions were heartbreaking. It was cold and there was no food around. The dogs scavenged the best they could but it was obvious they were starving.
“It is cold, there is no clean water and food is scarce,” Cunefare explained. “You have to fight with 800 dogs for resources, and bury yourself in piles of garbage to stay warm. It’s a horrible, horrible place to have to survive for years.”
Four years ago, a young Turkish woman, named Gocke Erdogan began feeding the dogs at the landfill and getting them medical care. Even rehoming the dogs when possible. Last year, RWB decided to join Erdogan and help the landfill dogs. The team has saved 47 of the landfill dogs and rehome them. For the others, they continue to feed them and get them veterinary care.
RWB wish they could rehome all the dogs but they don’t have the resources. For now, they focus on puppies and senior dogs who have a harder time surviving the harsh conditions.
Hercules fell into the other category. He wasn’t a puppy and he wasn’t a senior. He was also strong and doing better than most considering where he was living. But Hercules wanted to leave. He desperately wanted a home. He would run to the volunteers’ vehicles and tried to hop inside.
“This dog wanted out so badly,” Cunefare said. “You could see it in his eyes.” >> Click To Continue Reading This Story And Watch Video!
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