Boji, a Street Dog Famous for Using Public Transportation, Was Framed Over Politics

Boji, a former street dog in Turkey, has had a wild ride over the last few years. It first started in early 2021, when commuters in Istanbul started to notice a street dog riding with them on a bus or subway. The story is the pup used to commute with his human After his human passed away, Boji continued to commute without them.

Related: The story of Hachikō, the dog that waited every day at a train startion for his human (for 10 years)

If you see photos of Boji with a green tag on his ear. That’s a tag to show he’s received his vaccinations and that he’s being tracked. Avlin Erol, head of customers relations at Metro Istanbul, told CNN, “He knows where to go. He knows where to get out.”

Boji was estimated to travel up to 19 miles a day (30 km) on public transport, which included two ferry rides. Fans would greet him with joy and city workers protected him.

He was given medical checkups and grooming sessions. He also had a kennel built for him at one of his favorite stations, where he’d be fed regularly. But Boji just loved roaming the city (while promoting the use of public transportation).

In November 2021, he was granted an unlimited travel pass, which gave him the legal right to use any public transport in Istanbul. Note that stray pets have a different lifestyle in Istanbul. While there are plenty of stray cats and dogs around, it’s common for restaurants, shops, and homes to leave water or food bowls out for them.

Boji’s celebrity status soon went international, with even a Getty Images photographer following the pup around for a day to take some epic images.

While expected for human celebs, beloved celebrity pets also have their haters… And in late 2021, Boji was framed! Al-Monitor reported that a (literal) smear campaign had targeted Boji. A photo of poop on a bus seat was release to a new blog, with Boji the assumed bad dog behind it. Boji fans couldn’t believe it and the claim was investigated. With the true human culprit being caught on CCTV. The photo was published by a news blog whose purpose was to support the political party that was in opposition to the one in power. This led people to believe the stunt was politically motivated to embarrass the local government.

Boji’s official Twitter and Instagram accounts have since been deactivated, but a translation of his Tweet in response to the allegation read, “I was at the shelter the whole day with my trainer. Someone planted feces to frame me. How wicked can you get?”

And the last stop in Boji’s wild ride came in early 2022 when he was officially adopted. Also his new dad happened to be Ömer Koç who is a Turkish billionaire businessman. So Boji has been living the good life since! While unconfirmed, there have been mentions that Boji was spotted on a bus with his dad in London in March 2024.

For another epic street pet story, check out: Gacek, Poland’s most famous fat cat, survived a kidnapping attempt and health issues – Has now ditched fame and lost weight.