Warrant Officer Yitzhak (Tzachi) Zohar, 57, from Yokne'am, the oldest dog handler in the north, will soon retire from the IDF. However, he refuses to be discharged until he finds a warm home for Roni, his partner for the last eight years.
"Roni seized over 100 weapons and hundreds of kilograms of drugs, from cannabis to heroin," said Zohar. "In the police, it is customary to retire the dog at the age of eight, and since I didn't want to start with a new dog, I got permission to continue with him until the end of my service. My plan is to retire by the end of 2024, but at the same time, I have to find Roni a warm home."
Zohar joined the police more than 31 years ago. He served for years in the special forces and later became a dog handler in the northern district. He owned and trained dozens of dogs during his service. Roni and Beyoncé are his last dogs.
"Roni is very close to me, of all the dogs I've had, I feel the closest to Roni," said Zohar. "I received him as a 10-month-old Malinoa puppy. He was born in Manof and I brought him from there, it took me about six months to train him and I turned him into the champion of the Northern District in seizing drugs and weapons."
Zohar said that Roni almost died due to his determination to find drugs in one case. "In one of the cases, he jumped from the roof of a four-story building while searching for drugs in Haifa," he said. "Luckily for me and him, he fell on a tin roof and from there onto the hood of a car. After taking him to the vet, it turned out that he was fine. Fortunately, nothing happened and he overcame the pain and returned to work after three weeks.
According to Zohar, Roni can be adopted by a family with children. "He is not dangerous and a family with children can adopt him. He is a family dog and not a guard dog," Zohar said. "Whoever takes him should understand that he is taking a dog who will become part of the family and will live for at least another 5-6 years. Anyone who has a big heart, love for animals, sensitivity, compassion, and knows how to give Roni a comfortable life as a veteran who has accumulated impressive achievements, is welcome to adopt Roni. Obviously, he will not be given to just anyone and I would like to see who Roni is just going."