Let's Adopt

Let’s Adopt!, also known as Sahip Çıkalım! in Turkish, is a Turkey based animal rights group founded on Jan. 8, 2008 by two activists; Viktor Larkhill and Fulya Ulusoy. Let’s Adopt! is not legally registered as an association and is a largely internet driven group that makes use of social media in general and the networking site Facebook in particular. The group focuses on educating the general public on animal welfare issues, conducting rescue operations for animals in danger and rehoming them as well as lobbying at different levels of the Turkish government.

History

Initially known only to an internet using network of animal lovers, Let’s Adopt! first came under public spotlight with the death of Ebru, a stray dog allegedly kicked to death by a group of young men near İstanbul’s Taksim Square in June 2009. Let’s Adopt made the front page of some of the dailies in the country when it offered a TL 2000 reward for those who might provide any information on Ebru’s attackers so that legal action could be taken against them. However, this first encounter with the Turkish press was not entirely smooth. The Marmara Hotel that supposedly took care of Ebru for years, denied any human interference in her death . In the face of this controversy, some newspapers referred to Let’s Adopt as “a group founded by a foreigner residing in Turkey named Viktor Larkhill”, failing to pick up on a reference to the '80s comic V for Vendetta. Shortly after this incident, Larkhill, who earlier made a point not to reveal his real identity, changed his Facebook profile picture which previously featured an illustration of the V Mask from the original comic strip, to a real picture showing his face. However, Larkhill has not yet made his real name public.

Adoption Principles

Let’s Adopt applies three rules for adoption of the animals it helps that were developed over time to ensure the highest adoption success rate.
1. The adopting family must currently have a dog or a cat at home. This rule was introduced to minimize the risk of the adopted animal being abandoned.
2. The animal must live inside the home with the family members. This rule goes against the traditional Turkish way of keeping animals as guard dogs and letting them roam freely on the streets. This rule was introduced to ensure the safety of the animal in question.
3. The adopted animal must be fed a raw diet. Let’s Adopt! is a strong believer of raw food diets. This rule was introduced later due to the founders' firm conviction that most of the medical problems suffered by companion animals come from nutritional issues and commercial diets. Larkhill insists that animals are fed a diet that has stood the test of time for millennia of evolution.

Philosophy

Let’s Adopt!, in line with Turkish legislation, strictly adheres to the no-kill principle in promoting animal welfare and keeping urban stray populations under control. Turkish law governing stray animal populations adheres to the neuter-and-release principle. Let’s Adopt! rescue animals are rarely placed with new owners before being neutered. The group also organizes protests and campaigns against some city and district municipalities that are frequently accused of poisoning stray animals or abandoning them in woodlands to starve and other alleged violations of Turkey’s animal welfare legislation.

Let's Adopt! International Network

Since July 2009, Let's Adopt! has spread its international network and begun to operate in four new countries, namely Canada , France,Germany , and United States. These local chapters, which function following the same methods and principles as the Turkey based main group, focus their effort on local animal welfare problems, rescue operations as well as rehoming activities.

External links

The group's blog, http://blog.myletsadopt.com
Let's Adopt! (Canada) blog, http://canada.myletsadopt.com
Let's Adopt! (USA) blog, http://us.myletsadopt.com
Other pages that include information on the group's activities:
http://network.bestfriends.org/golocal/greece/12060/news.aspx
http://network.bestfriends.org/13265/News.aspx
http://network.bestfriends.org/13241/News.aspx
http://network.bestfriends.org/12922/News.aspx

See Also

• Animal welfare

fr:Let's Adopt tr:Let's Adopt