How long can they keep it up? Doruk compared it to a
mouse in a wheel – as long as the mouse runs the
wheel turns. But they admitted it was hard work taking
up all their free time. For instance most people have a
lie in on a Sunday and have a barbecue, but Doruk and
Tuana had to be up at the crack of dawn (6:00am!!!) to
be at the airport. That day three flights were taking
dogs to Germany and Holland. Tuana would love to be
able to educate the children in schools about dogs, and
train some dogs to be therapy dogs, like they have in
the US. Dogs are used there to visit hospitals, old
peoples homes and the like.
We could check in for our return flight at 10.30 am. Just after we arrived at the airport a van arrived from the shelter, with 9 dogs in it, that would travel with us and a Turkish gentleman. Tuana was already waiting for us, in her arms a small black and white dog. She had found it after our meal the evening before, by her apartment block. She had spent a long time trying to find it’s owner, but with no luck.
“Oh there is the owl” said Doruk giving her nickname for an older manwho worked for the airline, and who sometimes made things difficult for her,but luckily at the check-in counter was a lady who was sympathetic. Firstly our bags were weighed, followed by the dogs, so that the excess could be calculated. Luckily they weren’t all heavyweights like Jerry, a large Anatolian Shepherd dog, who weighed 60kg with his travel crate. Dorus and Tuana placed stickers on all the travel crates with the names of the dogs and made sure the doors were shut by adding an extra lock. Thdogs, all sleepy from their travel pills, were ready for their big trip!
Goodbye Doruk, Goodbye Tuana, you are fantastic: we hope to see you again soon!
One minute you are in sunny Istanbul, and then you are back at Schiphol. We went to ask at the outsize baggage department if the dogs were on their way. They actually arrived before our own baggage. We passed through customs with no problem and beyond the sliding doors stood the AAI volunteers, ready to take over the trolleys with the dogs on them. The new owners were gathered at the meeting point, cameras and video cameras at the ready to record the first steps of THEIR Turkish dog on Dutch ground, all excitedly awaiting their first glimpse of their new dogs. Is it in that crate? Or maybe in that one? What a wonderful sight to see all these people so happy and emotional as the met their new companions. Content with this special ending to our holiday we headed for home, back to our own Spanish star!
Are you looking for a dog, and don’t mind a mongrel? Think about adopting one of the numerous amazing dogs from abroad, who need an amazing new owner.
Petra Poorter & Frank Bouwens
We could check in for our return flight at 10.30 am. Just after we arrived at the airport a van arrived from the shelter, with 9 dogs in it, that would travel with us and a Turkish gentleman. Tuana was already waiting for us, in her arms a small black and white dog. She had found it after our meal the evening before, by her apartment block. She had spent a long time trying to find it’s owner, but with no luck.
“Oh there is the owl” said Doruk giving her nickname for an older manwho worked for the airline, and who sometimes made things difficult for her,but luckily at the check-in counter was a lady who was sympathetic. Firstly our bags were weighed, followed by the dogs, so that the excess could be calculated. Luckily they weren’t all heavyweights like Jerry, a large Anatolian Shepherd dog, who weighed 60kg with his travel crate. Dorus and Tuana placed stickers on all the travel crates with the names of the dogs and made sure the doors were shut by adding an extra lock. Thdogs, all sleepy from their travel pills, were ready for their big trip!
Goodbye Doruk, Goodbye Tuana, you are fantastic: we hope to see you again soon!
One minute you are in sunny Istanbul, and then you are back at Schiphol. We went to ask at the outsize baggage department if the dogs were on their way. They actually arrived before our own baggage. We passed through customs with no problem and beyond the sliding doors stood the AAI volunteers, ready to take over the trolleys with the dogs on them. The new owners were gathered at the meeting point, cameras and video cameras at the ready to record the first steps of THEIR Turkish dog on Dutch ground, all excitedly awaiting their first glimpse of their new dogs. Is it in that crate? Or maybe in that one? What a wonderful sight to see all these people so happy and emotional as the met their new companions. Content with this special ending to our holiday we headed for home, back to our own Spanish star!
Are you looking for a dog, and don’t mind a mongrel? Think about adopting one of the numerous amazing dogs from abroad, who need an amazing new owner.
Petra Poorter & Frank Bouwens