Our First Hike with Zeytin the Rescue Dog in Belgrad Forest

In late 2025, our sanctuary welcomed a new soul: Zeytin (which means Olive in English), a young pit bull whose life was almost cut short before it had a real chance to begin.

Her story did not start with cruelty from the streets alone, but with something far colder: organized fear.

Because of her breed, a group of people filed coordinated complaints against her through CİMER, Turkey’s Presidential Communication Center. CİMER allows citizens to submit complaints directly to state authorities. While it can be used responsibly, it is also, at times, misused, especially against dogs labeled as “dangerous,” regardless of their actual behavior. In such cases, these complaints can trigger immediate municipal action, often ending with the dog being seized and euthanized.

Zeytin had done nothing wrong. She was calm, curious, and gentle. But the label was enough.

We intervened in time.

Through urgent communication and direct action, we prevented her from being taken away. What followed was not relief alone, but responsibility – the responsibility to protect her, visibly and consistently, and to give her something every rescued animal deserves: a normal life.

The First Walk in the Belgrad Forest With Zeytin, Lady [Rescue Dogs], and Cats

This hike in Belgrad Forest was Zeytin’s first true walk as a free and safe dog.

The forest, just north of Istanbul, has long been part of our lives. Its oak trees, quiet paths, and filtered light have witnessed countless small recoveries – dogs learning to trust, cats learning to linger, fear slowly loosening its grip.

That day, Zeytin walked beside Lady, our calm and steady rescue dog. Lady has a way of grounding everyone around her, and Zeytin seemed to sense that immediately. She stayed close, matching her pace, occasionally glancing sideways as if asking silent questions.

Behind and around us, our cats followed at their own rhythm. And, as always, Süreyya was there – grumpy, dignified, pretending she didn’t care, while making sure she never strayed too far from the group.

A Dog the World Had Already Judged

Watching Zeytin walk through the forest, I was thinking: here is a dog the world had already decided to fear, walking gently on a leaf-covered path, side by side with her new friend Lady (another rescue dog), discovering smells instead of threats. No aggression. No tension. Just curiosity and the cautious joy of being outside without chains, without shouting, without danger.

Zeytin’s breed had nearly sealed her fate. Yet her behavior told a completely different story. It always does.

For us, this walk was more than a hike. It was proof.

Proof that panic-driven policies and mass complaints say nothing about an individual animal. Proof that visibility matters – that letting people see rescued pit bulls walking peacefully alongside other dogs and cats is one of the strongest counters to fear.

What Rescue Really Means

Rescue does not end when an animal is saved from immediate danger. Sometimes, that is only the beginning.

For Zeytin, rescue meant:

• stopping an unjust system before it acts
• offering safety where there was none
• and then, quietly, letting her walk among trees like any other dog

It was a cold, dark, and overcast December day, but for Zeytin, it was still a great moment. Surrounded by animals who had once been unwanted, her first walk marked something quietly important: safety, trust, and a beginning made without fear.

Belgrad Forest in December

December in Belgrad Forest can be dark, cold, and overcast, but it has a quiet beauty of its own. The crowds of summer are gone, the paths feel calmer, and the forest breathes more slowly. Bare branches, fallen leaves, damp earth, and muted light create a stillness that makes every walk feel more personal, and the emptiness, in many ways, is a gift.