SOUL TO HELP ANIMALS e.V.

You may be wondering how it all started.

My interest in and commitment to stray four-legged friends began three years ago. On the Facebook platform I came across the story of a street cat whose fate touched me and my family deeply. The cat had been attacked by a stray dog and sustained serious injuries. My family and I wanted to help and contacted the specified contact to offer us as potential adopters for the animal. We wanted to give this poor soul a loving home. The lady who was responsible for the mediation informed us about the details, as well as about the character of the animal. Since the tomcat was a very shy animal, we were unfortunately not considered as adopters because of the children (at that time 7 months, 5 years and 12 years). However, there were several other poor street animals that urgently needed a loving home, so the lady sent us photos of other velvet paws. Our current cat lady was among them at that time. After we had decided in favor of them, we had to be patient for a few more months. The EU imposes strict rules on the entry of pets from third countries such as Turkey. The procedure takes at least four months. On June 5th, 2017 we were finally able to welcome our new family member and embrace them.

We called her Sakız.

Unfortunately, when she arrived, Sakız was still suffering from injuries from an accident. It took a full 6 months to fully recover. Today Sakız is a very healthy and happy cat. She has become a member of our family, a life without Sakız is now unimaginable for us.

This was the beginning of my journey into the world of animal welfare. Since then I have been trying tirelessly to help stray animals from Turkey.

In the meantime, with the support of animal protection friends who accompany me on my way, I have founded my own association. The association offers the necessary legal framework for serious and sustainable animal welfare work.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me and who continue to do so.

Everyone knows it: You are abroad and on vacation. Several dogs and cats roam the streets, struggling to survive every day. Every day these little angels have to worry about what and where to get something to eat. In their search for food and water, they are exposed to many different dangers on the streets every day. The danger of being run over or run over, the danger of meeting people who don’t mean well with them. You are mercilessly exposed to any weather. There is also the danger of being attacked by other animals in a struggle for the very survival of animals. The animals often come out of such territorial turf battles with serious injuries, which often lead to death.

Dogs and cats do not enjoy the same status abroad as we know or expect in this country. They are mostly viewed as a nuisance and filthy street nuisance. Comparable to the importance of wild rats in this country. Therefore, they are often despised and not infrequently mistreated or even poisoned.

Again in pet stores, puppies and kittens are offered and sold in shop windows like cuddly toys to unsuspecting, unenlightened people. After buying such an animal, they are often quickly overwhelmed or get tired of it after a short time and another animal ends up on the street. Many of the animals are even secretly released in the forest.

The sight of these emaciated, neglected, often sick or injured animals is unbearable for animal lovers and animal rights activists like us and pushes us to our limits. However, we don’t want to look the other way, we want to do something about it. We want to help sustainably. That is why we have teamed up to give these animals a chance of a species-appropriate, happy life. (We try to curb the population of the animals through castration on site, this is the only way to put an end to the misery.) We also take in street animals, look after them and then look for a suitable home for them with loved ones.

Of course, we don’t forget the animals that live here right on our doorstep. Also here in Germany there is animal suffering and we are trying to help here too.

Hence our motto: Don’t look the other way, help out! Support us to give our furry friends of all kinds the help they need!