Ali and Ezgi arranged everything to bring Dayday to Istanbul and fostered him while I traveled. When leash training proved difficult, they found a gentle training farm run by Okan and İrem. 

I visited him there and left again, trusting Okan and İrem’s training style, which was mostly love, belly rubs, and patience. Dayday graduated successfully, and we reunited properly. 

Shortly after, we went on our first summer trip together to Cunda, still strangers in some ways. I was learning life with a small dog after years with a golden retriever, trying to let go of the thought that Doktor was watching from rainbow land with jealousy Dayday was learning how to belong to a home, not the street, and to form a bond with one familiar presence rather than passing strangers. He was shy, hiding under tables, trying to be invisible the way he once had to be. 

We clicked in Cunda, but we truly connected after returning home to Cihangir. There, he became the neighborhood’s favorite and gained confidence quickly. He saw love wherever he turned his head. People asked about him, not me. He learned he was lovable, and the change was obvious. 

He also expanded his social calendar. Writers’ talks, book signings, bar nights, and picnics. He sat through conversations, collected head scratches from everyone, and enjoyed it all. But the paperwork was done and the move to Dubai was inevitable, so we stayed a little longer to spend the New Year with family in Istanbul. After that, we hit the road to Dubai. The journey was long but smooth. 

Dayday began again. New streets, new dogs, new dog parks, new smells, new routines. He settled easily. 

Then another dog arrived, Roy. A one-year-old golden retriever rescued after being abandoned and injured in a remote part of the Emirates. I agreed to foster him until we find a loving home. “