IDF soldiers rescued the lives of a dog and her puppies while fighting in Lebanon before the cease-fire with Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday.
A few days ago, Golani Brigade reservists operated in a village in southern Lebanon. While clearing buildings, the soldiers encountered something none of them expected. In one corner of a house, they noticed a very thin, mixed-breed dog.
As they approached her amidst the smoke engulfing the house, they suddenly heard the howls of puppies, which the dog had given birth to just hours before the troops entered the building.
“The dog was trembling and clearly terrified. We rescued her and the puppies and tried to feed them whatever we had — water, tuna and cured meat,” one of the soldiers recounted. He added that the dog was completely dehydrated, which made it difficult for her to nurse her puppies since she could not produce milk.
“We placed the dog and her puppies on a stretcher and carried them to a secure location. After several hours, we noticed she was recovering and beginning to nurse her tiny pups. By evening, the dog and her puppies were transported to the Israeli border. Her eyes reflected a sense of calm and joy that’s hard to put into words,” the soldier added.
“It’s a miracle she wasn’t hurt because this was an active combat zone. It felt like a sign of life amidst the battlefield,” said another soldier from the unit that found the dogs. “The dog could barely move and was breathing heavily—we thought she was on the verge of dying.
“The entire scenario was extremely complex because we had to continue advancing toward our targets. We had to evacuate the dog and her puppies under fire and get them away from the combat zone—everything had to be done very quickly given the risk of anti-tank fire.”
During the rescue efforts, an animal welfare activist from northern Israel who gives aid to dogs reached out to Riki Batzri, founder and chair of the S.O.S Animals organization, and asked for her help.
Batzri immediately agreed, arranging care for the dog, assigned the name Nina, and her puppies. S.O.S Animals aims to help stray dogs and cats and improve animal welfare in Israel.
Like the many dogs and cats the organization rescues weekly, Nina and her puppies were taken to Dr. Alon Shinar's veterinary medical center in Ramat Gan, where they were isolated for the required observation period. Nina arrived extremely weak and suffering from anemia, while one of the puppies suffered a deep cut.
After the observation and recovery period, the entire family was transferred to a foster home, where they continued to grow and develop.
"We receive dozens of pleas for help daily because the situation is incredibly dire everywhere. We manage to assist many animals thanks to the organization's unique approach, which operates without kennels, relying instead on volunteers who serve as foster families until adoption,” Batzri explained.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
“The organization provides everything—food, supplies and veterinary care. The biggest challenge is raising funds for veterinary treatments, which often save lives. Foster families are always in short supply and the commitment is usually only for a week between adoption days in Herzliya," she added.
"This dog family was saved. It's thanks to donors, volunteers and adopters that we're able to rescue dozens of stray dogs and cats each week, all rescued from extremely harsh conditions."