The Ferry
It also became obvious that the pup thoroughly enjoys his time on the water. Whenever he would take the ferry, passengers would comment about how content he looked, jumping up so that he could peer over the barriers. The dog often took ferries to neighboring islands and across straits. Chris McGrath, a journalist who followed the dog around for a day, commented on how comfortable he appeared while traveling.
More so, he claimed that it was incredibly peaceful watching the dog lie around on the ferry, basking in the sun. Whenever the boat would hit larger waves, the pup would start barking, showing off his playful side.
Knowing the Routes
McGrath also mentioned how intentional the dog looked every time he boarded a ferry or train. It was almost as though he had a plan before arriving at the station. According to McGrath, when two trains arrived at the same time, the dog would look at one, decide that that is not the train that he wants to be on, and move towards the next. It seemed to him that the dog could read the destination boards, deciding which part of the city he wanted to visit that day.
Nobody is quite sure how the dog came to be so self-aware. In fact, most locals suggest that the dog seems to know more about the public transport system than them!
A Good Passenger
It’s important to note that the dog has never bothered any of the other passengers. In fact, it seems as though he thoroughly understands the rules of etiquette that come along with public transport. He minds his own business, normally choosing seats towards the back of the train. More so, he gives way to embarking passengers and waits before entering the train. Over time, passengers have gotten so used to seeing the dog on the train that they have started treating him like a regular.
While it is obvious that the pup wholeheartedly enjoys traveling around the city, we still aren’t entirely sure what he gets out of his long journeys. He takes the saying ‘it’s not about the destination, but the journey’ to a whole new level…
An Engine Fanatic
After a few months of monitoring the dog’s behavior, the staff of the metro came to realize that the dog simply loves being around the engine of the train! He always goes directly for the seats located on top of the engine, and if they are occupied, he sits as close by as possible. When he’s on the Metro or subway train, he sits right on top of the wheels.
After referring to him as ‘the traveling dog’ for so long, the staff members finally decided that they should give him a name. It only made sense to consider his love for the engine when making this decision.
Boji the Dog
In Turkish, the middle section of the train is known as the Boji. For this reason, they decided that this would be the perfect name for the dog who was always on the move. Before long, everybody started calling him Boji, almost as though the public had adopted him as their own. Boji had been popular amongst the locals before, but now that he had a name, everybody wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
People from other areas of Istanbul even visited his local station in order to get a look at the traveling dog. He was basically becoming a local celebrity!
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