Commuters taking public transport in Istanbul have been treated to a familiar face lately. He takes the city’s trams, subways, and even ferries! He has been affectionately named Boji, and he’s the friendliest commuter you’ll ever meet.
Public Transport
The Sivas Kangal cross shepherd dog is a stray with a very human-like habit. He perfectly navigates the city’s public transport system and even waits patiently for his stops. It’s peculiar behavior that’s made many people wonder – where is he going?
Stray Dogs In Istanbul
Stray dogs in the city are usually marked with a tag on their ear to show if they’ve been spayed or neutered, as well as if they’ve had their vaccinations. Strays with these tags still live hard lives, but it usually indicates they are being looked after by the community and are getting fed.
Gaining Popularity
With Boji’s commuting antics, he gained a lot of popularity with local passengers. Boji’s behavior must have come from experience, and everyone had the same burning question: what was he getting up to?
A Tracker
Municipal officials finally decided that they would figure out where he was going. They managed to put a tracker on him and would document his movements for the next few days.
20 Miles A Day
With the tracker on, they were shocked to realize that Boji travels almost 20 miles a day on public transport through both the subway and ferries. As they looked further into just where he was going, they made an important realization.
Not Out Of Necessity
Many people thought that the stray dog had a long commute with a final destination, but it seems that the dog goes on trams, the subway, and ferries for one reason only – out of enjoyment.
No Home To Go To
Because he’s a stray, Boji doesn’t have a home to go to. He treats the city as his home, and he loves traveling around it just for the thrill. Passengers have even started updating their social media with where he was last spotted.
Doing What He Loves
Thankfully, it has been concluded that Boji is fully capable of taking public transport and won’t hurt himself or others as he goes about his business. This means that he’ll be left to keep doing what he loves – taking the subway.
Following The Rules
First-hand accounts of people who have commuted with Boji have described him as a wonderful, quiet passenger. It seems that Boji even knows the rules for public transport and doesn’t break them – he won’t even trespass over the yellow line at the metro station.
A Kennel To Call Home
With how much of a good boy he is, the Metropolitan Municipality knew that they could try to make Boji’s life just a little bit easier. They checked him to make sure he was healthy and installed a kennel at one of the metro stations where he could stay if he chose to.
Adoption
In 2022, Boji’s life changed completely when a businessman who had heard about the dog wanted him to have a place to call home. Ömer Koç adopted Boji and took him to his home.
A Free And Loved Dog
Boji enjoys having a loving family now, but he still gets to explore the city and has more or less free reign on where he goes.
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