Why get a pet dog if you will leave it?

"So many people are being irresponsible as far as dogs and puppies are concerned," she said, adding that she despairs about their lack of responsibility and is angry that they take on a puppy with little or no idea about how to look after them, exercise, feed or train them É and then when the puppy grows into a big dog or produces a litter of pups because the owners have failed to have them neutered É they decide that they don’t want them .

The majority of the animals in the center are from people who just don’t want to be bothered with their pets any more, according to Agnelli. The center is so full that she, the vets and helpers are at a loss to know what to do.

The dogs’ pleading eyes and pathetic whines must soften the hardest heart but obviously not their erstwhile owners who buy them as if they were toys. Matters are made worse for Agnelli when people not only expect the center to collect them, but also then fail to contribute to the animals’ future welfare.Â

"What kind of people are we dealing with here?" she despairs. "We can’t kill the dogs but I have a pretty good idea of what  to do with the owners."

Alper Altaş, who was visiting the center to look for a kitten said: "I have put a lot of thought into becoming the owner of an animal. It is a big responsibility and costs money if it’s done properly. It infuriates me to see how thoughtless and careless some people are about animals."

Enough was enough for Agnelli, who finally asked the press to meet her at the center, where she explained the situation to everyone and asked them to publicize the problem with Fethiye’s errant pet owners. Cameras clicked and pens scribbled on paper, but what will happen is anyone’s guess.

All are incensed by the attitude of irresponsible pet owners but what can be done to prevent it? Agnelli is trying to motivate the authorities and stir them into action and it has been the greater part of her busy life for the last seven years. Rules have been considered, agreed and publicized but enforcement is another problem entirely.