This week, we speak to Karen Wren, owner of TAG Charity Shop, a British woman who has dedicated her life to helping animals. Karen settled in Turkey just to help animals and has built her life completely according to them.
When did you first come to Turkey?
I cam to Turkey 21 years ago because I had some money in the bank and I thought it would be a good idea to buy a house here. But when I arrived, I encountered stray animals in very bad conditions. 21 years ago, the situation of dogs and cats on the street was very bad. I had an elderly dog who was in England at the time and would not be able to leave England immediately. I was always telling my family, “When my dog dies, I will return to Turkey and I will save those animals.” A year and a half later my dog died and I came back to do what I said I do.
This is really impresive. Can you talk about what exactly you do in Tag?
Here, in the shop, we sell a lot of second-hand clothes and items in good condition, and with the money we get, we take injured or sick cats and dogs to the vet. We spay cats and dogs. We feed them. Veterinary expenses alone amount to 8,000 lira every month. We are a charity shop that works to meet all the needs of animals and there is no other charity shop in Turkey, only us. It was also difficult to open such a store, we struggled to get permission and be accepted.
I buy items that are new in the store myself. Second-hand items come from the public, mostly from the British. All items are in very good and clean condition. People who want to help animals, who want to contribute, give these clothes for free.
Who did you set up the charity shop with?
I did it alone. I had the urge to do this. I told my friends and some Turks. Then I opened it with my own money. Now I work with volunteers who want to help animals. There are 16 people in the group, half Turkish and half English. Also, I opened two shelters in Antalya and Milas, private animal shelters. We have almost 200 dogs in shelters.
Do you cover the expenses of both the shelter in Antalya and Milas and the shop here?
Yes. There are 4 employees in total in the shelters, their salaries, insurance, bills, etc. I bear the expenses. Of course, we need help as money is constantly spent on animals. It is important to us that people shop here.
Do you have a full time job?
This is my full-time job. And I’m not getting paid. I have nothing to do with money. I work to take care of animals, contribute to their recovery and feed them.
When I first came to Turkey, I was more careful to protect dogs. Because back then, the condition of dogs was a bigger problem. Now the situation has changed, cats have problems dogs are looking better. With the money from the shop, we take care of many cats with injured legs, brain damage, and diseases. The number of sick cats has increased due to the cat corona transmitted from cat to cat. Big cats have a chance to live, but kittens die.
Yes, what was I saying, this is my full-time job and I love working for animals. I used to be a nurse. I love all people too, but animals have always had a special place in me. I even ended my marriage for the animals. I was married for 17 years. He asked me to choose between him and taking care of animals in Turkey. And I don’t like having to choose (Laughs). I chose this because you can get up and start over and earn money, and take care of yourself, but animals can’t do that. How they feed themselves, they can’t. So we do this together as a team. We all work together, not just me: Carol Dickinson, Özgür Snow, Jess Cat, Aysel Demir, Susan O’Dowrell. We are a team and all this work was not only my effort, it was realized thanks to the team.
Can you talk about the difficulties you faced?
Challenges… The problem is that when you have a charity like this, people see you as a healthcare worker. I mean, they think you can take care of all the animals. But we don’t have enough money to keep up with all of them. Last month, only the veterinarian’s fee was 17,000 liras. I’m uncomfortable saying this, but people can bring their pets to us as if they were street animals. It’s really tiring to come across this lie. Money reserved for stray animals goes to people’s pets. To animals whose care they are responsible for… This is not our responsibility.
(Carol Dickinson.) I faced something similar. On the site I live, they wanted money to buy food for their animals. Or they wanted cat food that I bought with my own money.
(Karen Wren continues) I have also encountered people who feed their dogs with the food we leave on the roads for stray animals. When this happens, the animal on the street has nothing to eat, it is not fair at all. I understand what people are trying to deal with in Turkey. Unfortunately, cat and dog food are really expensive, yes. But there are many in your home that animals can eat, we can also feed animals by mixing that meals.
But considering that we also provide treatment for stray animals in addition to food, you can understand that the money we receive goes very quickly. If we’re talking about difficulties, it’s hard for people to lack understanding.
Can you talk about the good side of this job, the side that makes you happy?
The good thing about this is animals, definitely animals. Look at these cats: Lucifer and Blue. 4 months ago you couldn’t touch them. Now Blue comes and gives a kiss. As a result of patience, attention, and love, these animals begin to respond to you. When they are unhealthy and in need of help, they are in a position to show their love to you… That’s what makes me happy about this job. Very happy….
How can people help you, how can they reach you?
They can come to the shop, Tag Boutique Charity Shop on Ege Caddesi. They can shop here. We have never asked anyone for direct financial assistance. We asked for cat and dog food and asked people to come to the store to buy clothes or donate clothes.
If people don’t want to donate money directly to us, they can leave money for the treatment of animals we take to Pativet Veterinary Clinic.