Since 2014, Gökçen Yıldız has been taking care of the majority of stray dogs in the streets of Ankara. She completed the training of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and also obtained the local animal protection officer certificate. In 2018, Yıldız moved to a rural area in Gölbaşı to be able to help more stray dogs by living in a detached house.
The garden that Yıldız dedicates to 180 dogs, most of which are cancerous, disabled, injured, and in need of care, is regularly inspected by the teams of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry 9th Regional Directorate. During the inspection on March 1st, Yıldız was fined 865,800 Turkish Lira for “dogs barking collectively and disturbing neighboring houses”. However, her fine was increased to 1,731,600 Turkish Lira under the provision that “if the offenses are committed by individuals tasked with caring for and protecting animals, the fine is doubled”.
Yıldız stated that she has also adopted dogs that people are scared of and cause trouble, emphasizing that all the dogs are spayed, microchipped, and have identification. As a local animal protection officer, Yıldız mentioned that her home is inspected by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry teams for animal welfare and environmental health reasons. After the inspection, she was fined a total of 1,731,600 Turkish Lira due to the barking of 180 dogs and her status as a local animal protection officer.
Yıldız claimed that the dogs did not bark when they saw the team on the day of the inspection. She said, “I leave the decision to the public now. They want me to leave here. I don’t know where to go with this many animals.” She underlined that she takes care of the dogs solely with the support of herself and her family, without soliciting donations or having any social media account.
Expressing her desire to live peacefully and happily with her dogs, Yıldız said, “If they want me to leave, they should show me a place, prepare the infrastructure, and I will take my dogs and leave.” Yıldız mentioned that she has appealed the fine through her lawyer.
