Mysterious Dog Stares into Grate Every Day – People Were SHOCKED When They Found Out the Truth

We often do not give enough attention to stray animals. Thousands of them walk the streets in front of our homes every single day, so it’s safe to say that they are fairly common. And this is especially true for busy metropolises, more than any other places in the world.

However, sometimes events transpire which makes it impossible not to notice these strays. This is what happened with one particular stray German shepherd, whose actions captured the fascination and imagination of many.

Lost in the Crowd

Thick mist descended on the east side of the city of Istanbul, Türkiye. People gathered in bustling heaps, making their way along the streets through the increasingly dense crowds to finish their morning business. Many are often oblivious to what’s in front of them, let alone noticing what is under their noses. So, it is no surprise that the small shape darting and weaving between their legs went unnoticed, as he intently made his way around corners, past carts and shops opening up for a day’s work.

Though this may be a common occurrence in many large cities, people will soon find out the shocking truth about their canine neighbor, as this seemingly invisible German shepherd would stun everyone!

Invisible to Most

This specific German shepherd sauntered along both the narrow alleyways and the wide stone paths of the central square, stopping in front of apartment entrances and supermarket sliding doors. He gave a kind glance and wag of his tail, hoping for the curiosity of passersby, as well as for the generosity of local salesmen to toss him a part of their breakfast buns or a piece of ham from their sandwiches.

To an average observer or tourist, the dog was seemingly just roaming around the many maze-like streets in the city, much like any other street dog. However, to Emil, a 35-year-old local man, the actions of this particular stray was highly unusual.

The Monday Routine

Emil owns a small local Deli which he rigorously vets every day before opening. It is located in one of the more bustling areas of the city’s cobble stone walkways near the center of the city, so he often places signs in front of his store advertising the day’s specialties and sales.

That Monday morning, he was going through his regular routine, however, before the streets were flooded with commuters and tourists, he noticed a brown and black shape standing a little way down the street. It would not have been anything out of the ordinary, except for the fact that the dog seemed to be sitting oddly on one leg, right in the middle of the street.

Unbeknownst to him, this curious observation would lead towards a lifechanging experience.

Friendship at First Sight

The canine’s back was turned and his head intently facing downwards as if it had fallen asleep. Emil thought this quite funny so he took the initiative to walk up. However, he not only found the dog wide awake, but intently looking through the metal bars of a drainage tunnel gate.

Despite being a street dog, he was quite receptive to pets on the head and seemed to quite enjoy the affection. But even though he gave a few licks and whines, leaning his head into the pets, he never took his eyes off the grate in the middle of the road, and after a while went back to staring at it, his ears seemingly perking up at a faint echo coming from the grate that one could have just barely made out.

This fascinated Emil and he took a picture to share on social media. But the comments that poured in stunned him.

Hints and Theories

Some astute commenters looked at the picture carefully and noted something interesting about the dog himself. The German shepherd seemed to always be either standing or sitting in his right leg, and he seemed to be wearing a white tag on his left ear. This is not too uncommon, as many street animals are often tagged as part of an initiative to control stray animal population. However, it may also be a sign of ownership by an individual or an establishment.

Emil was advised to call local shelters to find out more and perhaps even find the owner. But before doing so, he posted the pictures on public Facebook groups, asking anyone if anyone had a missing pet, or knew who the dog belonged to.

Motivation for a Mystery

In the following days, Emil found himself a new goal. Apart from running his business for most of the day, he spent most of his free time calling local shelters, as well as pouring through local forums and posts on social media groups, looking for any mention of a German shepherd with a white tag.

In between his work, making calls and reading through hundreds of articles he regularly visited the dog down the street to pet him and give him slices of smoked sausage and pieces of ham sandwich. They were taken with gusto however Emil always noted that as soon as the dog finished eating, he went straight back to looking at the jet-black space beneath the metal, keeping a keen eye and ear out for both sights and sounds.

Gathering Fame and Attention

Emil’s efforts did not go to waste. Although he was yet to get any concrete response, his search on social media garnered attention. “The dog that stares into a grate” became a hit local story. Some reached out to Emil to try and aid him in finding the owner of the dog, however, many instead took time off their day to visit this extraordinary part of the city.

The canine quickly turned from a shade, often unrecognized and unnoticed, to suddenly having one or two visitors a day. The people would often pet and feed the dog, and moreover, they would engage in conversation with Emil, who would share the story and spread the message. However, when asked why the dog looked into the grate, and what the odd sounds were, Emil was always stumped to answer, which made him wonder every time.

The Adored Local Celebrity

News of the story spread like wildfire among local social media groups. So much so that soon enough, there were a handful of people gathered around the stray at each moment of the day. Even people simply walking down the street, unaware of the events, would stop and ask out of curiosity, and stay out of fascination hoping to catch a glimpse of some sort of answer.

But the old dog merely sat silently, watching the grate, while people crowded around speculating amongst each other. Why was he sitting like that? What was the tag on his ear? And most importantly, why was he so intent on staring silently down an empty hole, day after day, and what were the sounds that now many have claimed to hear up and down the street?

However, what happened next shocked not only the visitors, but Emil and everyone following the story.

Commotion in the Distance

Near the end of the week, as Emil was just settling into his lunch break, he heard a loud commotion coming from the direction of the dog.

The hustle and bustle of the crowds in the middle of the day was nothing new, he had gotten used to it in his work. People shouting, laughing and talking loudly all came with working on a busy street. Even through the past week, he had been slowly getting accustomed to the growing crowds near his Deli. However, this time it was different.

There was a loud and piercing shriek and continuous barking. Emil abandoned his lunch and research and rushed out to see what had everyone so perturbed.

Panic Around the Corner

Emil rushed to the scene, with the worst on his mind. Did the crowds distress the dog? Had the dog bitten someone? He saw many all but fleeing the scene, either distressed or commenting on the events which only fueled his anxiety.

As he approached, he pushed past the crowds only to see the dog clearly angered for one reason or another. Standing on all fours, with his tail and ears down, and a vicious snarl on his face, the German shepherd was barking madly at the grate as if something had attacked it from below.

Asking around, Emil found out that a woman had tried to look into the grate, even getting down on her hands and knees, which drew the anger of the dog.

The Dog Whisperer

Thinking on his feet, Emil rushed back to his shop and took a small piece of cheap smoked sausage, the type of which he had been feeding the dog daily.

Heading back to the crowd which had now dispersed, he waved the piece of meat in front of the shepherd. The stray soon stopped barking, grabbed the sausage and laid down with his lunch between his paws, peacefully licking, chewing and eating his meal.

However, this got Emil curious. Keeping everything in mind and on his toes, he slowly reached towards the grate. His attempt was met with a sideways growl. A warning, surely. He decided not to push his luck, however the question still remained. What was in the grate that elicited such a violent response from an otherwise peaceful dog?

Calling the Emergency Services

With these questions on his mind, and fearing for the safety of the general public that crowd the busy street, Emil decided to call the fire department. He explained the situation and begged them to come quickly so that they may check what is underneath the sewer grate.

While waiting, Emil stayed to control the situation, explaining the situation to the ever-growing crowd, and keeping everyone away from the German shepherd just in case, as he felt that he had enough of a handle on the dog to prevent any further incident.

However, in that very moment as he was taking his time to calm the crowd, his phone buzzed, receiving a text that would shed light on the whole situation.

Firefighters to the Rescue

The fire department arrived within a few short minutes with the massive red truck parting the sea of people now observing what was transpiring. Pulling the dog aside, Emil gestured towards them, calling them over and running them through all of the events of that day, as well as giving them all the information at his possession about the dog.

He was told to keep back. He took a hold of the stray with the help of some of the emergency workers.

The firefighters quickly got to work bringing out crowbars and other tools to open the sewer grate, as well as a mobile camera that could be used to check what was lurking in the black depths of the drainage pipes.

What’s Under the Grate?

As soon as the firefighters got near the grate, the dog started snarling and barking again with his eyes traced solely at the echoing darkness of the drain. However, as the firefighters were well prepared, they kept him at bay, taking a note from Emil to distract the dog with food.

The emergency workers used their cameras to probe the drainage pipes. Although at first, they didn’t seem to find much but small leaves and slime stuck to the sides of the pipes, they soon noticed shifting movement down the drain.

At the same time, Emil received a call directly to his phone from an unknown number. This was when he noticed the message on his phone that shocked him.