Missing economist's dog found after 74 days

BALIKESİR

The dog of 83-year-old economist Korhan Berzeg has been located after disappearing along with her owner over two months ago in the western province of Balıkesir's Gönen district.

A citizen who spotted Berzeg's dog, Tina, whose whereabouts had remained a mystery despite search efforts spanning more than 70 days, promptly informed Armutlu neighborhood headman Hamit Erman.

Reports confirm that Tina is in good health, providing a glimmer of hope for the well-being of her owner. Berzeg's relatives have converged in Gönen in response to the development, awaiting a meeting with gendarmerie teams who are set to assess the situation and formulate a plan for future search endeavors.

Berzeg had vanished on June 17 during his customary morning walk. Under the guidance of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), comprehensive measures have been put in motion to locate Berzeg.

Collaborative efforts involving the gendarmerie's commando special public order command have been in thorough searches of water wells, stream beds and caves. Regrettably, these endeavors have yielded no sign of the renowned economist.

Teams employed English calls and whistling in an attempt to locate the dog as it has a limited understanding of Turkish commands, Gönen Natural Disasters Search and Rescue Association (GÖNDAK) head Kadir Akbulut had elaborated earlier. The search was further aided by the deployment of drones to cover expansive areas efficiently.

Akbulut further explained that Tina is characterized as a quiet and non-aggressive dog, which influenced Berzeg's choice of walking locations. During the autumn, the pair would traverse open plains, while the forest became their preferred summer route.

“We have searched everywhere they could have gone with the teams... He was going up to the forest area because he had his dog with him," Akbulut stated. "We scanned his usual walking path several times. There is an old cemetery, his father’s cemetery, he used to walk down there. We scanned that area as well but unfortunately, we could not find any trace of him."