I changed the subject of this week’s article twice. I will definitely write about the other topics one day, and not completely eliminate them. However, there is a matter of priority here. We lost my mother's dog yesterday (Saturday night). In this article, I will write about this loving dog, our Carino, the joy it brought to our home, and the importance of giving all animals the life they deserve.

I remember when I first felt love for animals. We had a dog named Charlie while living in Bebek. My father found it on the street, brought it to our house, and he grew up with us. If you saw his type, it was a complete mix. It was unlike any other breed, and there was no way you could even make out what mix it was. What I remember were his light (yellowish) red and black hair, his fairly large stature, his large head for his body, and his honey-coloured eyes. I always felt he was looking at us with good feelings. If he got angry with someone, you would know that from his honey-coloured eyes.

Charlie was a very smart dog. He was flirtatious. He used to stay on the set above the garden of the house. He would manage to jump over the set, get out (none of us could figure out how he could do this), and would go to visit his lover in Bebek (we followed him once and that’s how we know).

And every time we went for a walk in Bebek, he would meet us on the beach and then accompany us until we got home. He would start snarling at people whose looks he didn't like, and he would attack those he felt were really dangerous. Once, in an alley returning to our home, my father could barely rescue a construction worker from Charlie’s anger. You know, dogs have strong feelings, and he wouldn’t growl and attack just anyone.

Unfortunately, we lost our free-spirited Charlie as a result of a car crash while wandering the streets of Bebek. I was personally very upset. I believe he would have lived 3-4 more years, he left us early.

Last night, my mother's dog (I say that because she lived with my mother, I saw her as my own dog. Actually, it was our family's dog) passed away. So, I decided to write about our Carino and about my love for animals instead of the two articles I was going to write about.

 

The differences Carino made

Carino made a great contribution to our family, especially my mother. I remember him coming to my mom's house as a puppy. It was a magnificent animal. Its white fur, upright ears, and dark eyes enchanted us all. He was showing everyone that he was a loving dog from a young age. He was very friendly.

Interestingly, my mother used to be afraid of animals before Carino, and was often scared. For example, we would go to a restaurant, when a stray cat or dog approached our table, she would become anxious, and when the animal tried to be in close contact, she would clearly show how afraid she was, and we would all try to calm her down. Of course, none of us know what she had experienced in the past.

My sister Nazli brought Carino home. That's why it technically counts as Nazli's dog. However, after Nazli went to America and lived in America for years (still there), Carino became my mother's dog. She brought the dog to my mother without asking. You can guess the situation my mother fell into. She was afraid of this cute little white furry animal, and she was trying to figure out how to clean the house because of her meticulousness, saying that the house order would be completely upside down. I remember she said to Nazli, "If you brought him home, you will take care of him."

Carino's name was also given to him by Nazli. "Carino" means cute in Italian. Since I know Spanish, I thought the name was spelt incorrectly, because the Spanish word for Carino is "Cariño". That hat on the letter N is a combination of the letters "ny". In other words, it is read as "Karinyo" in Turkish. Then when I found out that it was Italian, I kept quiet. Carino was a really sweet and cute dog like his name.

The miraculous changes in my mother

As days and weeks passed, miracles happened. A bond began to form between my mother and Carino. It was such a bond that the uneasiness, even fear, began to be replaced by incredible love and compassion. My mother started taking care of Carino personally. In fact, as the weeks passed, we began to witness my mother hugging and loving Carino.

I couldn't believe my eyes. My mother personally took care of Carino, right up to all his cleaning, and she started taking care of him like a child. In the following months, this love gained momentum and my mother turned into a fanatic animal lover. My mother, who was afraid of even a small cat, hugged the huge dog she found on the street and started feeding it by saying "Pity for these animals". These few months of transformation were incredible. This made me the happiest.

A pee love story

My relationship with Carino was special. When he saw me, he would be surprised at what to do, and he would start all kinds of cheering. In fact, when I first started showing him love when he was young, he would pee. His vet said, "He's very excited so that’s why he does it, it will pass when he grows up." Carino never lost this enthusiasm. It may sound a little strange, but he peed every time I touched his head until he passed away. Before coming to my mother’s house, I used to say, "I'm close, prepare the newspapers." I used to play with him on newspapers when I first entered the house, so that the entrance of the house would not stink. Then when I would go into the living room and sit on the sofa, he would first smell me (he was probably trying to understand where I came from) and he would go between my legs and plead for loving. I cannot tell you the voices he would make out of his satisfaction. Even if I was very upset, this exchange of love would cause my boredom to dissipate and change my upset mood. I think the reason why my mother favourited me the most despite having a dog is probably due to me being the opposite sex. And of course, I was showing the same love towards him that he was showing me, he would get so enchanted.

For the past few months, Carino was not in a good mood. The animal was well looked after. But if I had to self-criticize it, there was more food than extreme love. You know, it's a classic for pets. While you are eating at the table, they come to the table, they look at you sadly and want to eat by making various noises and even touching you with their paws. However, in order for the animals to be fed correctly, you should not give them anything extra from the table, as this can spoil their health in the long run. That's why you need to be very strong willed and not do this extra feeding thing or at least not exaggerate it. However, my mother could not resist Carino's demands from her heart and made the animal fat because she was constantly feeding it. Both the veterinarian and ourselves had warned her many times about this issue. My mother always said, "Okay, I'll be careful from now on," but a few weeks later she could not stand it and continued to overfeed. That's why Carino was overweight.

And here came the sick days…

The last few months had been painful for Carino. Unfortunately, a tumour was detected in the liver and kidney. The vets said that his days were numbered. And I was telling them to do their best with him to make him live longer. There was also a detection made by the veterinarians. Large dogs, for example the German shepherd, lived 9-10 years. Small dogs lasted longer, with an average lifespan of 15-16 years. Carino was a medium sized dog and was 13 years old. So, according to the vets, it was time. In fact, dogs like Carino are lucky compared to stray dogs. Did you know that the average life expectancy of stray animals, which is one of the important problems of our country, is 3 years? This is a shame.

Last week, I visited Carino at the animal hospital in Atasehir on Sunday. They opened his cage; he was lying there tied to the IV. He looked at me with his eyes from below. He did not recognize me. I took off my mask, I said "Carino". The animal had this immediate lift, you’d think it was never sick. His leg was taped, he was given the IV, he had a tumour in his internal organs, and without hesitation, he jumped out of his place and held out his head. I cannot even explain the "vik vik" sounds he made when I used to pat his head and the tears in his eyes.

Then we went out for a while, so he can get some air, and he found our car immediately. He was hitting the car with his paws, he wanted to go home. We left him there when the vet said, "He needs to stay here for a few more days, just so he can get himself together a little more."

A few days later, my driver, Munir Bey picked him up and brought him to my mother. Carino loved Munir Bey very much because he put a lot of effort into looking after him, and he would seriously be ecstatic around him every time.

However, my mother was able to last for 1 day. Carino, who we are used to being very active, could not get up, he even started to tremble. My mother called me with great sadness on Wednesday, July 15th. "Son, something is happening to Carino, I think we are losing him, will you come quickly?" she said. We immediately went to my mothers with Munir Bey. I entered the house. He was lying on the floor in my mother's room. As soon as he saw me, he rose up and came to me immediately. The dog was suddenly awake. Here is the video of those moments:

Then we took Carino to the animal hospital, there was no signs that he was sick, let alone  being a dying animal. He put his paws on my legs, pricked up his head, leaned against me and looked around and made himself be loved. When I looked into his eyes, I realized that Carino was aware of the situation. It was as if he was enjoying his last time. I was feeling this. I recorded those moments. Here we are while enjoying the Bosporus with Carino:

In our video while passing over the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge, it is not clear at all that our dog, who experienced this pleasure for the last time, struggled with a fatal disease. He enjoyed the moment with me with his awesome energy. In that sense, he was a great dog.

Then we arrived at the animal hospital. I also recorded the moment we arrived at the hospital. Here is the video of that moment:

And we surrendered our Carino to the veterinarians who greeted us at the door. Carino, who was on the lap of the veterinarian who got in the elevator at the entrance, made a final head gesture that made it clear that he wanted to come to me as the elevator door closed, gave me one last glance, and this was our last meeting. It was too hard to hold myself. I was hoping that, with good care, his life would become as long as possible.

It was time, we lost our Carino last night. Condolences to all of us.

The sincerest love

Have you ever looked into the eyes of an animal that looked at you with great affection? It is an incredible feeling. No matter how angry, sad, or any negative emotions you have, these looks create an energy exchange that will turn your whole mood into a positive one. You feel that love in the sincerest way.

Animal love is the purest, purified and sincere form of love, it is unrequited. Love also heals all things. So, are you ready to be worthy of animal love that makes our lives so meaningful?

I'm ready. In the future, I will do whatever is necessary to offer animals a life as they deserve in our country and to spread the love of animals to the wider masses.

I will share the details with you in the near future. The structure to be established is ready in my mind and I will also identify the animal lovers and animal NGOs who will work with great passion for this cause.

I'll keep you updated as soon as I fix the fundraiser problem. I have a plan for that too. See you in the future ...

 

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