'Thief' dog Kırpık becomes a tourist mascot: 'Shoe tree' brings smiles

In the Kaleiçi neighborhood of Bartın's Amasra district, a tree adorned with shoes is sparking the curiosity of domestic and foreign tourists.

The tree, which has shoes hanging from it, is receiving great interest from tourists who cannot understand the reason behind it.

Tourists, unable to establish a connection between the shoes nailed to the tree and the tree itself, are trying to learn why the shoes were hung there.

The tree, where lost shoes are hung so their owners can find them, has become one of the favorite spots attracting tourists to the neighborhood. The tree draws tourists to the region from different provinces of Turkey and various countries around the world.

(The shoe tree)

Neighborhood resident Kemal Doğu explained the reason why the shoes are hung on the tree with these words:

"Our neighborhood dog is Kırpık. Kırpık is a thief. He has a shoe obsession. Wherever he sees shoes in front of a door, he takes them and brings them here to play. After one, two, three, five, people who lost their shoes would search but couldn't find them. An active friend of ours living in our neighborhood found these shoes while cleaning the area. While investigating where they came from, he determined that the dog was bringing them. He nails the shoes to the tree so they can be retrieved by their owners"

"THOSE WHO SEE THEIR SHOES ON THE TREE TAKE THEM"

Noting that everyone who sees the tree wonders about the reason, Doğu said, "Those who see their shoes on the tree take them and bring them back home. For those who don't come looking, the shoes have formed a pattern here. Everyone wonders what it is about."

Mustafa Şenyerli, who lives in the neighborhood, stated, "Our neighborhood dog brings the shoes he finds in front of doors. Our neighbor hangs the lost shoes here, and the owners come and take them. Those that aren't taken remain, creating this interesting sight."