Stray Dogs

Where: Topkapı Palace, Istanbul, Turkey
When: February 14, 2009

We were at the entrance to the palace grounds, and I was shocked when she came around the corner. I expected her to ignore me, but after a brief hesitation, she walked right up (this is when I took the picture) and gently placed her head, easily hip-height, under my hand and stood quietly. The guards were laughing at us, bemused by our obvious delight. She had a lovely quiet, serious temperament, and I even got a tail wag when she realized that my pockets smelled like dog food. They were empty, but she followed us as we walked towards the palace anyway.

There is nothing quite like the feel of a dog that big and serious padding quietly just behind you.