Sponsoring a Didim Animal
If you feel adopting a dog is not possible for you, how about sponsoring one instead?
There are number of dogs currently at Didim Shelter that, through no fault of their own, are not suitable to adopt but whose lives would be greatly enhanced if you could sponsor them instead.
What we are asking for in terms of sponsorship is a one-off payment of just £25 per dog. This will protect a dog from leishmania and other tick borne diseases, plus a worming tablet. Basically, it will keep the dog safe and healthy for a year.
Dogs currently available for sponsorship
More about sponsorship:
As of January 2022, changes in Turkish law meant that any banned breed dogs abandoned at the shelter were, through no fault of their own, condemned to spend the rest of their lives there. With no possibility of adoption, they effectively became our “lifers.”
In an effort to control the population of these breeds and promote responsible ownership, the government introduced several requirements. Owners were expected to register their dogs, have them microchipped, and ensure they were muzzled when in public. Unfortunately, despite these well-intentioned measures, the policy backfired. For various reasons, compliance was low, and increasing numbers of banned breeds began arriving at the shelter on a weekly basis. Upon arrival, they were confined to cages measuring just 2m by 1m for the remainder of their lives.
With no chance of ever experiencing a home environment—and as a breed particularly vulnerable to the bite of the disease-carrying sandfly—CoDA recognised that these dogs urgently needed support. Our aim was to provide them with the best possible quality of life under extremely challenging circumstances.
Sandflies transmit leishmania, a life-threatening disease. Although it can be managed with medication, the cost is far beyond what the shelter can afford. As a result, if a dog contracts the disease in the shelter environment—which is a very real risk—it will either face a slow and painful death or be euthanised.
By providing each of these dogs with a Parabond collar, they are protected during the critical 6–8 month period when sandflies are most active. Thanks to our 2025 campaign, not a single banned breed dog suffered or died from this devastating disease.
This protection also has a wider benefit. When a sandfly bites a dog wearing a protective collar, it is killed, preventing it from spreading the disease further. While other collars are available, many are not effective in Türkiye’s specific conditions.