Introducing Boji, The Most Famous Dog For Istanbul Public Transport Users

JAKARTA - If you're in Istanbul, Turkey, don't be surprised to find a dog in mass transportation. Don't be kicked out either because he insists he won't want to get off Istanbul's public transportations.

The dog's name is Boji. He became something of a celebrity in Istanbul. Best of all, this dog loves to get around the city on ferries, trams, and subways. Yes, like humans.

Boji is a resident of an animal shelter in the city of Kemerburgaz. This dog is known to stop at at least 29 stops using various modes of mass transportation.

Its movements were tracked by a microchip implanted by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), which cares for the stray dog. The city government also housed him twice a week in a shelter, where his health was checked and he was treated.

Quoted from Daily Sabah, Boji is actually a friendly dog. But this 4-year-old dog will be stubborn if you try to get him out of public transport, says shelter veterinarian Yalçın Keskin.

Indeed, Keskin and the others had a hard time persuading Boji to leave their car where he was comfortably stretching his legs in the front seat.

"He likes to be outside but we have to keep him here for a while, to check his health," Keskin told Demirören News Agency (DHA) Monday.

“He loves to travel and is friendly towards people. He is a calm animal and also polite. For example, he leaves whatever vehicle he is in and looks for another suitable place when he needs to urinate,” he said.

“He knows where to go. He knows where to go out," said Avlin Erol, head of customer relations at Metro Istanbul.

Boji is estimated to travel up to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) a day, passing dozens of Metro stations and taking at least two ferries.

"He's very free-spirited," said Chris McGrath, a Getty Images photographer who recently spent a day following Boji around town.

“All he wanted to do was take transportation. Whenever he passed a bus or a van or any kind of transportation, he just wanted to get on it. This is really very strange.”

McGrath first found out about Boji on Twitter, where people were posting photos and selfies of them with the mixed breed dog. Now the dog even has his own Twitter and Instagram accounts with tens of thousands of followers.

"Everyone knows him now and everyone sees him," McGrath said.

For many, dogs have become beloved members of the community.

"He went to a restaurant and two men shooed him away, yelling at him," McGrath said. “And then you hear someone else, another restaurant owner, yelling at those people: 'This is Boji! This is Boji! Don't throw him out!' So he must have got celebrity status now.”