Our NewsDepth A+ this week goes to a woman in Istanbul, who has spent the last 12 years rescuing hundreds of dogs. Then she helps find them new homes in the United States. Sara Sidner explains.
--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS--
IT'S PLAY TIME….
ALL THESE DOGS ARE HERE BECAUSE OF YASEMIN (YAH-SIM-IN) BABAN.
ALL THESE DOGS WERE ONCE ABANDONED AND UNWANTED ON THE STREETS OF ISTANBUL AND YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHERE THEY'RE ABOUT TO END UP.
(Yasemin Baban, Dog Rescuer) "A dog has no chances. They can not talk. They can not beg. They don't steal They just want food and affection."
AFTER SEEING THE CONDITIONS OF THE SHELTERS 12 YEARS AGO IN TURKEY…SHE DEDICATED HER LIFE TO SAVING DOMESTICATED ANIMALS.
(Yasemin Baban, Dog Rescuer) "I left the, the shelter crying then I went again then I went again then I cried and I said crying is not enough someone has to do something. Then I started to volunteer in shelters. "
(SHE WAS SOON WARNED OF A DISTURBING TREND…
(Sara Sidner, CNN) "The reason you see so many golden retrievers here being rescued is because people in Turkey love the puppies they're really popular but once they get grown up they end up putting them out either on the streets or in the forest. And that's also why they are all so good natured because these were people's pets at one time. Oh oh oh"
BUT THEIR SWEETNESS HURTS THEIR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL ON THE STREETS OF ISTANBUL…. WHERE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HARD CORE STRAY STREET DOGS LIVE.
(Ahmet/Dog Rescuer) "We bring them to our hotels. We vaccinate them we neuter or spay them then we put a chip which is for identification of the dog. And uh we issue their health certificates, their passports…"
THAT'S WHERE THE STORY TURNS INTO A VERY LONG JOURNEY FOR THESE GOLDENS….
FROM ISTANBUL, TURKEY TO ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S.A.
TURNS OUT AMERICANS LOVE GOLDEN RETRIEVERS. AND BABAN FOUND JUST THE PLACE ….ADOPT A GOLDEN ATLANTA…..
(Yasemin Baban, Dog Rescuer) "American Golden Rescues have lists of people waiting to adopt dogs. And here we don't find anyone."
SO FAR ADOPT A GOLDEN ATLANTA HAS TAKEN IN 123 GOLDEN RETRIEVERS FROM ISTANBUL…THEY CALL THEM TURKEY DOGS.
WITH ALL THE ANIMOSITY BUILDING BETWEEN EAST AND WEST….THIS IS ONE
CONNECTION THAT HAS NO BARK OR BITE.
SARA SIDNER, CNN, ISTANBUL