Dog Takes the Subway Every day, Man Puts a Tracker on Him

Amidst the daily routine at the subway station, one man noticed an unusual passenger among the commuters. It was a dog. At first, the man assumed that the dog belonged to someone in the train, but he was mistaken.

He knew he couldn't just stand idly by anymore. He needed to find out where the dog was going every day. But when he realized what the dog was up to, he immediately called the authorities.

An Unexpected Passenger

Usually, Amir would drive to work. However, for the past two days, his car had been in the garage. So, he decided to take public transportation instead. Little did he expect to witness something like this on his first subway ride.

A dog patiently waited on the platform, just like the people around him, and hopped into the train as soon as it arrived. Nobody paid much attention to the dog, except Amir. What could possibly be happening?

Just a Stray Dog

Amir tried to locate the dog inside the subway. But before he had a chance to find it, the train reached the station where Amir needed to get off for work. Initially, he thought the dog was a wandering stray, going from one train car to another without any specific purpose. So, he tried to forget about it. But that would not be the end of their story. After work, the young man returned home, thinking that he would never see the dog again.

But the next day, he received the surprise of his life: the little pup was back on the platform. And that wasn't all. For the following days, Amir kept seeing the furry friend taking the same subway as him. He started to wonder what was going on. Was the dog a stray being fed by a passenger? Or was there a darker story unfolding?

Lost

Not all days were the same. On one occasion, Amir witnessed people pushing the dog out of the train. He tried to stop them, but it was too late. The train had already departed, leaving the poor dog alone on the cold concrete, wandering in circles. People passed by, paying no attention, except for Amir. From his window, he could see that the dog was acting strangely, as if it was lost.

The dog seemed disoriented, moving randomly among the people waiting for the next train. Before Amir could take action, his train left the station. Determined to help the dog, he continued to ponder a way to find it. He was determined to uncover the mystery of the subway traveler dog.

Trying to Help

The next day, Amir brought some dog treats with him to the station. He waited at the same subway stop, and it didn't take long for the dog to appear.

It was dirtier than usual, but its brown fur was unmistakable. The dog gladly accepted the treats while wagging its tail. Seeing the dog so happy, Amir felt glad to have helped. But he didn't plan on stopping there.

A Difficult Decision

Amir received a call informing him that his car had been repaired and was ready to be picked up from the garage. However, at that moment, he decided he would continue taking the subway to work until he could truly help the dog.

The car could wait. He wanted to find an opportunity that would allow him to do something significant. But who knows what problems that furry creature faced every morning? Amir had to act quickly.

Calling the Authorities

He decided to call the authorities, who redirected him to a local animal shelter. The shelter staff was just as puzzled as Amir upon hearing his story. At first, the team only wanted to capture the animal and try to find it an adoptive family. But the mystery behind where it was going every day and why wouldn't be solved that way.

And that meant that maybe someone was waiting for it at home or taking care of little puppies. The staff couldn't guess. So, they took a completely different direction.

A Very Long Journey

The shelter staff decided to put a tracker on the dog to see exactly where it was going. Gaining the trust of the animal wasn't an easy task, but with Amir's help, they managed to do it. Now, all they could do was wait. The tracker was finally active and on their target. When the employees saw where it was heading, they didn't quite know how to react. They had never seen anything like it.

When they checked the tracker after a day, they were left astonished. The dog had made a long journey across the city, and no one knew why. In the following days, it was the same. The dog traveled for a while and then, in the evening, returned to its starting point.

Boji

One of the shelter employees decided to follow the dog on foot to see where it wandered every day. The man quickly discovered that the pup's name was Boji. He was spotted by passengers who started taking pictures of him during his subway, train, and even ferry rides. It was evident that the dog was very clever.

He knew the rules of public transportation and let passengers get off before he boarded the empty train. When it came to the subway and train stations, Boji would wait on the platform if the weather was nice, and stay inside if it was cold or raining. The man had never seen a dog like this.

Health Check

Upon examining the tracker more closely, the shelter staff discovered that Boji made 29 stops per day, covering a distance of 27 to 30 km. Boji, despite being a stray dog, was a mix of Sivas Kangal and German Shepherd. His name came from a Turkish railway term. The canine had recently undergone thorough health checks, and the examination showed that he had passed all of them and had been sterilized.

The poor pup had once belonged to a family but was now living on the streets. He traveled so much to find people and places that would give him food. It was a daily adventure for the dog to be fed by so many people who loved and cherished him.

On the Chase

To top it all off, several social media accounts were created to track where Boji had been seen, as many passengers enjoyed his company during their commutes. The dog was a calm and pleasant presence and brought joy to the people he encountered.

Thus, everyone helped the pup find his way and gave him treats when they saw him. As crowds began to follow him, Boji became an internet darling.

A Canine Celebrity

Chris McGrath, a photographer for Getty Images, heard about Boji on Twitter. Internet users started posting selfies with the dog, and he even had his own Instagram and Twitter accounts with thousands of followers.

Chris decided to go to Istanbul to see the star with his own eyes. He followed Boji for a whole day to see where it went and took photos of its adventures. He couldn't believe his eyes.

Everyone Knew Him

"He knows where to go. He knows where to get off," explained Avlin Erol, the customer service manager at Metro Istanbul. "It's a very interesting pattern, as if he knows where to go and has a purpose." And for many, Boji had become a beloved member of the community. Everyone knew him. Chris followed Boji and couldn't believe that all these stories were true.

"He's a free spirit. All he wants is to get on public transportation. Every time he passes by a bus or a van or any form of transportation, he wants to get on. It's really bizarre," he narrated on CNN News. Chris not only confirmed that Boji traveled 32 km per day on public transportation, but he also discovered something even more incredible.

Weekend Getaways

Boji had even been spotted spending a weekend on Princes' Island! To get there and back, he had to take an hour-long ferry ride. Once aboard, he knew where to go: the pup headed straight for the sunny side.

"He loves the water," Chris explained. "When the ferry starts, he starts barking at the waves." But that wasn't Chris' only discovery. Boji knew exactly which ferry to choose.

Choosing Between Two Boats

"He was looking at one of the boats and the people starting to board. I don't know how he knew, but that one was going to Eminönü. And the other one was going to Besiktas," Chris chuckled.

"So, he checks the one going to Eminönü and says, 'No, that's not the right one.' And then he goes under the turnstile and boards the one going to Besiktas. I don't really know how he knows it, but he seems to prefer the Besiktas ferry." Chris also discovered another peculiar habit of Boji's...

His Namesake

Chris learned from municipal officers that Boji seemed to enjoy the different engines of the vehicles he took. "On the ferry, he sits at the back, where the engine is, because of the vibrations: he loves it," Chris explained. "And when he's on the subway, he sits where the wheels are. He likes the sensation of resting on them." Indeed, that's how Boji got his name.

The name refers to the area on the subway just above the wheels, known as the 'bogie' in railway terminology. In Turkish, 'bogie' translates to 'boji'. But how can a stray dog find enough food to survive on the streets of Istanbul? Being a vagabond is dangerous for all animals, so why is Istanbul different?

Stray Animals in Istanbul

Istanbul is also known as Catistan for a good reason: there are a lot of stray cats and dogs roaming the streets. But being a stray dog in Istanbul is different compared to the rest of the world. The city of Istanbul has a program that protects the large number of stray animals wandering the streets. Food is provided by the city, and there are sterilization and neutering programs, as well as emergency services for animals. It's not difficult for Boji to find food.

"There will always be a bowl of water and a meal for the animals, hidden in the nooks of restaurants and houses," explained Chris. "So Boji knows where to go." The municipality is even considering placing signs on the dog in public transportation to guide people in their interactions with him. But how do the citizens of Istanbul react to Boji?

Protectors of Their Mascot

"One day, he entered a restaurant, and two men shooed him away, shouting at him," Chris recounted. "That's when you hear someone else, the restaurant owner, yelling at those guys, 'That's Boji! Boji! Don't chase him away!' So he definitely has celebrity status now."

And it's not just the Istanbul community that protects their beloved mascot. Avlin Erol and the other municipal workers have a soft spot for the furry traveler...