Kurdistan’s Stray Dogs Live in Silence and Suffering
Shorsh Amin | Exclusive to iKurd.net
Translated by iKurd.net from Kurdish Awene
A Lament for the Stray Dogs of My City – “A Dead Conscience Doesn’t Just Throw Stones – It Kills”
Every day, as I walk through the narrow and dusty streets and alleys of this city, I find myself facing a silent yet heartbreaking scene: the tired, pleading eyes of helpless creatures whose only crime is being born in a place lacking compassion and humanity.
O stray dogs of my city, when you look at me with hunger and thirst, trembling and ashamed, your eyes become a language of silent suffering. Whenever I look into them, they teach me a completely different and profound language, yet they cry out loudly: “We are hungry, we are thirsty, and we are exhausted from this endless search for a single piece of bread.”
When night falls and spreads its dark shadow over the city, and people return to the comfort and safety of their homes, your bitter and difficult journey begins.
You move from one trash bin to another, from one pile of waste to the next, and most of the time, nothing awaits you except unbearable cold, scorching heat, and the constant fear of hunger and thirst. When dawn arrives, with weakened bodies and broken spirits, you welcome another day filled with hardship and humiliation.
But the tragedy does not stop there. Your difficult lives are not limited to searching for food. Instead of kindness, you are often met with stones thrown by reckless neighborhood children, children who have not been taught not to harm the powerless. Life for you is a vast field of suffering.
My heart aches whenever I see four or five tiny puppies huddled together, fearful of the cold, the heat, and even people, constantly shivering.
Their mother is not there to keep them warm because, here, irresponsible institutions and people without conscience choose not to seek humane solutions such as shelters and proper care. Instead, they poison them and end their lives in a cruel and brutal manner.
Leonardo da Vinci said: “The time will come when the killing of an animal will be regarded as the killing of a human being.”
In our society, people often say: “When human rights are not respected, talking about animal rights is a luxury.” But the truth is the opposite. The right to life is a universal and indivisible right. A society cannot claim to be humane while showing cruelty and indifference toward the weakest and most voiceless creatures around it.
Mahatma Gandhi said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
My sorrow also extends to those domestic dogs that were once the loyal companions of caring people but were abandoned without mercy when they grew older or became unwanted. Even now, they remain confused, trapped between memories of a loving home and the cruelty of the streets. They have tasted the bitterness of human betrayal.
Mark Twain said: “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”
Forgive me… my loyal, loving, and helpless animals. Forgive me, because here, in this disappointing homeland, all I can offer is words and sympathy for your suffering. I have no real power to save you from this hell. From the bottom of my heart, I wish I had the ability to provide you with a peaceful shelter, a meal without conditions, and a lifetime of safety and security.
Arthur Schopenhauer said: “Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.”
But until the day comes when a change occurs in the awareness and conscience of this society, you will remain an unhealed wound within my body and soul. The cries that echo through the darkness of the night will always remain in my ears.
Forgive me…
In a world where even human suffering is often ignored, showing compassion toward the most voiceless and vulnerable creatures living on the streets is the highest expression of morality, civilization, and inner beauty. I honor the few sincere people whose hearts still beat for you and who come to ease your suffering with a little water and food.
This article was originally published in the Kurdish language in Awene Newspaper on June 18, 2026.
The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.
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