The Shanti Farm provides rehabilitation for stray dogs found in Gaza. IDF soldiers fighting in Gaza often encounter stray dogs during their operational activities and many have been brought to Israel, but some are very aggressive and are often euthanized. Now some seek to give these dogs a second chance and rehabilitate them.
"We assume dogs coming to us have undergone very harsh training in Gaza, involving starvation, beatings, and being fenced off," Inbal Kesem the manager of Shanti told Ynet. "Some dogs arrived with severe traumas also resulting from the explosions. We had a dog that was afraid of any small noise. We had dogs that were shot and burned. Some dogs were very aggressive in levels we weren’t familiar with here," she said.
One of the farm’s success stories is Julian. He was brought back from the Strip to Sderot near the border but was aggressive and was going to be put down. "At first, they didn't want to give him to us; they gave up on him," Kesem said. "They said the dog was crazy and psychotic, and there's no chance to rehabilitate him. It took me a week and a half to convince them, along with pressure on social media and eventually, they released him to our care."
Kessem said she truly believes aggressive dogs can be helped. "It took Julian six months to calm down and become less aggressive but he is now coming into contact with more people. The road ahead is still long, but I believe in him."
She said many of the dogs never developed a trust in humans. "They deserve a chance," she said. "Many people simply avoid dealing with them, and then they’re euthanized with no other option on the table."