A Dog's Last Words on the Gallows

(The bill allowing the "euthanasia" – or more accurately, "slaughter" – and mass deportation of stray dogs was approved by the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye and became law.)

Oh, Humanity!

Soon the rope will be around my neck, and I will breathe my last. But know this: it is not I who will die, not I who will give up my life, but your two-faced character and disloyalty, which you have always hidden behind a facade of friendship throughout history.

I am now leaving this world. I will no longer see the sun, the stars, the night, the darkness. I will no longer be able to run and play in the mountains, in the meadows, on dusty roads, on hills.

Remember, Oh Humanity!

You lived in caves. You could barely feed yourself day-to-day through hunting and gathering. You struggled to catch prey and couldn't leave your cave for fear of "becoming prey" to other animals. It was at such a time that I extended my paw of friendship to you.

You know that our sense of smell, we dogs, is 10,000, even 100,000 times stronger than yours. Our hearing is four times better than yours. While humans can run 10 km per hour, we can run 60 km. In those times when you were just beginning to stand upright on Earth, you needed my superior abilities. You begged me, saying, "Let's live together. If you protect me, we will be stronger together, we will multiply and develop rapidly. I promise! I will never forget this kindness of yours," and you convinced us dogs.

Thanks to me, you felt safe enough to leave the caves and build homes. You established villages and multiplied rapidly. I ran and caught the animals whose meat you ate. You benefited from my sniffing and tracking abilities. With my hearing and sense of smell, I warned you of approaching enemies.

Thousands of years passed like this. You used me to guard homes, herds, and property. My shepherd dog brethren protected your flocks from predators. My hunting dog brethren, with their extraordinary speed, caught and brought back your prey. My guard dog brethren, patrolling at night, stayed awake to ensure your and your family's safety against thieves.

Do you remember, when you built cities and multiplied, your greatest enemies were earthquakes. You carved stones and built magnificent buildings, castles, temples. When earthquakes shook cities like cradles, and not a stone was left standing, thanks to my hearing and sense of smell, I rescued many from under the rubble, and I continue to do so. You pleaded for my help to find those lost in avalanches and other disasters.

I helped members of your own race whom you scorned as "blind." I took them for walks, I gave them joy in life.

You trust your soldiers and police. Then why do you still rely on my sense of smell and use me in narcotics operations? Why do you put me on the front lines to find mines in wars? It was us dogs who died and were maimed by mines; were schools, airports, or roads named after us for this?

Have you forgotten, in world wars, you relied on my loyalty and speed, tied a leash around my neck, and sent messages from one place to another. Why did you strap bombs to my body and use me to blow up tanks you considered "enemies"?

My dog brethren, with dynamite strapped to their bodies, blowing up enemy tanks at the cost of their lives

The fault is ours, the dogs'. We believed in your friendship, we hoped that our thousands of years of cooperation would continue with mutual and sincere feelings. Now I understand that we deceived ourselves, we neglected ourselves.

There were also societies that understood our value and honored us. Ancient Egypt considered us sacred. Our god Anubis would gather us and give us counsel. But as the absurdity you call "civilization" grew and developed, our god Anubis was belittled and ignored.

Next to our god Anubis, in our good and beautiful days

None of you remember our dog brother named "Saluki," the protector of the Pharaohs! The Pharaohs sought refuge in our spirituality, they blessed us, because without us, their tribes could not have survived. They blessed us so much that when we died, they mummified us just like the Pharaohs. More than eight million of my dog brethren lie in eternal sleep, mummified, in the lands of Egypt. But all of this is thousands of years in the past.

In Japan, our dog brother "Hachiko" became a symbol of loyalty. We valued friendship and fidelity a thousand times more than humans. Hachiko, even after his owner died, waited hopefully for his owner's return at the train station every day for nine years. Tell me, is there a single human among you who shows the same loyalty?

Dear dog brother Hachiko, no one remembers your loyalty and fidelity anymore

In Scotland, our dog brother named "Bobby" was so devoted to friendship and fidelity that he waited at his owner's grave for 14 years after his owner's death.

In Alaska, in 1925, a diphtheria epidemic broke out. Our dog brother named "Balto" served as the lead dog in harsh weather conditions to transport antitoxin serum to the town of Nome. Balto's courage and fidelity saved thousands of lives.

Ah, my brother Balto! I wish you hadn't saved this ungrateful human race, who now surround the gallows, watching my death with pleasure and excitement.

Friends, I am now bidding farewell to this world. Soon my feet will dangle from the rope. But do not forget, it is not I who dies, but HUMANITY, which you showered with praise using false and bombastic words.

Mücahit Özden Hun        August 10, 2024      Time: 16:00