IDF Soldiers in the reserves rescued the dog Younis from a burning building in Gaza's Khan Yunis, and now, after he had spend some months with one of them he is in need of a new and loving home.
"We conducted an operation to take control of a neighborhood in Khan Younis. After clearing one of the houses, one of the soldiers shouted at me, 'Elinson, come look, there's a puppy under the bed.'"
"We arrived to find a frightened dog, hiding and shaking. When we tried to pick him up, he ran to the neighboring house, which another team had cleared," Netanel Elinson, a reservist serving in the Strip, said. The house then caught fire, and the soldiers ran in without hesitation to rescue the pup. The rest of the "houses were targeted in airstrikes, so Younis - the puppy's new name - was saved from a grim fate."
The troops fed and cared for the little dog who would shake with every explosion. "We fed him all sorts of good food, and he strangely refused to touch the salted meat we had, which made us think we should probably think twice about eating it," Elinson said.
Younis stayed with the soldiers even when they left Khan Younis. "This little puppy left with us," Elinson said. "We took him to the veterinarian on the same day I got out, gave him a bath, and got him vaccinated. He's so beautiful and doesn't look like a typical Gazan-Canaan dog. Some say he might be an Israeli dog that was held captive. I brought him home, and he changed from the traumatized dog we found, to a sweet, tail-wagging pet after meeting the kids."
Now, Younis's time in foster care at the Elinson's is coming to an end, and he's in need of a new and permanent home. "He's about 9 months old and received all of his shots, and we've house-trained him so he only does his business when in walks outside," Elinson said.
"He's very friendly and doesn't fight with other dogs and is gentle with people. He loves being petted and going on long walks. We're looking for a loving home for him. He can be both an indoor and outdoor dog. Overall, Younis isn't an ordinary dog, but one with a special survival story, which is always a plus."