It gets very cold during the winter in Istanbul, Turkey. And all over the city there are cats and dogs without homes trying to find ways to survive the brutal temperatures. Fortunately, there are some good humans in Turkey who treat the strays with love and care. So when some dogs and cats took refuge in a mall, the store owners welcomed them with open arms.

When these dogs found their way into the mall, some Good Samaritans covered them up and provided some cardboard for them to lie on in front of the stores.A women’s clothing store called Penti allowed some dogs inside to give them shelter. Here you can see the three dogs taking in the warmth as a customer shops right next to them.

Selçuk Bayal, the owner of a cafe, also took in 12 stray cats in need.

He was not fazed by the disapproval of some potential customers and gave the animals a place to stay.

He and the other store owners have such big hearts!

These great people of Istanbul have raised the bar for the rest of the world. Hopefully others will follow suit and open their doors to animals in need when the weather turns cold.