Stray dog tours Istanbul using public transportation

ISTANBUL

A stray dog named “Boji” has become a local celebrity after using buses, subways and ferries to travel across Turkey’s metropolitan city of Istanbul.

After the dog was noticed by several people for having used different modes of mass transportation throughout the city and its photos being shared by locals on social media, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality decided to attach a tracking device on his back to trace him and ensure his safety.

The data obtained from the tracking system showed that the dog traveled 29 stops in a day, covering a distance of at least 30 kilometers by public transport vehicles. He even travels between continents from time to time.

Boji, a crossbreed of Sivas Kangal and shepherd dog, takes its name from railway terminology, bogie, which means an undercarriage with six wheels pivoted beneath the end of a railway vehicle. The reason why he is called by that name is very simple: He mostly sleeps in the bogie area every time.

The buzz began two months ago when a social media user posted a photo of him on a tram in Istanbul. Afterward, several people posted pictures of the dog in separate places, on buses, metrobuses and ferries, along with the dates when he was spotted.

On Aug. 18, Boji was taken to Kemerburgaz Animal Temporary Shelter with the help of expert teams of the Municipality’s Veterinary Services Directorate.

The examination showed that Boji had previously undergone a health check, sterilized and released back to the street, that is, to his routine life.

According to the tracking device, which can only be checked by the municipal authorities, Boji mostly uses the T1 tram line, which runs from Kabataş to Bağcılar via the historical peninsula of Istanbul with a total length of 18 and a half kilometers.

The dog’s second favorite means of public transport is the M4 metro line, a 27-kilometer, 19-station rapid transit line running between Kadıköy and Tavşantepe on the city’s Asian side.

Boji knows all the rules of public transportation, including giving way to the disembarking passengers, waiting for them and entering the train after it’s fully emptied.

He goes down to the subway stations, meters below the ground, sometimes by elevator and sometimes by escalator. He waits on the terrace if the weather is nice and inside if it is cold or rainy during the ferry trips.

Meanwhile, a Twitter account was opened for Boji, with the username “İstanbul’u Turlayan Köpek” (The Dog Touring Istanbul), with articles updating information about where he was last seen. Photos shared on the account also show that the dog gets along quite well with passengers.