Reuniting pet dogs with owners or finding them fosters or adopters

Thousands of families who lost everything – loved ones, their homes, and their property in the South in the vicious incursion and murder by Hamas terrorists – are now staying in hotels and guest houses in the center of the country. Those among them who owned beloved pets – dogs, cats, and others who were like members of the family – can’t be reunited with them and bring them to where they are staying temporarily. 

Then there are bewildered dogs and cats whose owners were kidnapped, murdered, or who disappeared and ran away from destroyed homes and have nowhere to go. Some will be reunited with their owners’ relatives if an identifying chip can be found under their skin and fostered temporarily by volunteers. Others will eventually have to be adopted by strangers. 

Its members around the country are helping to treat pets – mostly dogs – that were collected from the southern kibbutzim and moshavim by soldiers and pet-advocate volunteers, providing urgent medical care, including medications, identifying the pets by scanning for a chip, and sending them for fostering until they can be reunited with families and relatives. People who want to donate or volunteer to help the association can call Dana at 050-623-2391. 

A number of municipalities, including that in Jerusalem (at 050-213-1827) have sent out WhatsApp messages asking current or former dog owners and others to foster those who cannot yet be reunited with families for various reasons. 

ICAVA (Israel Companion Animal Veterinary Association) Chairperson Dr. Anat Lichter, who graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Koret School of Veterinary Medicine in Beit Dagan and runs its branch at the Eshel Hanasi Youth Village, told The Jerusalem Post in an interview that there are probably dozens of dogs whose owners have been murdered, kidnapped or gone missing. And there are many more who need to be fostered for a while. 

“In the last two weeks, about 1,000 pet dogs and other animals have been collected in coordination with the Israel Defense Forces and even volunteers from SOS [Pets] and other groups who risked their own safety to take them from destroyed kibbutzim and moshavim. Some wandered around for days, became dehydrated, went hungry, or suffered harm to their legs. These were sent to emergency center vets who have treated them,” she said. 

“If they had an identifying chip, we contacted their owners and reunited them," Lichter said. "If their owners couldn’t bring them to stay in hotels and guest houses, we are arranging for volunteers to foster them in the meantime. Things are better organized near the northern border, which is also under bombardment.”

Dogs suffering after attack

Dr. Ran Margalit, chairman of the department of emergency medicine and intensive care at Koret who is an authorized vet in the Gush Etzion Regional Council, told the Post that being separated from their families is especially hard for dogs, which are social, pack-oriented animals. Cats are more solitary and run away, so they are harder to find, he said. 

As for post-trauma among dogs, its effects can be delayed instead of showing up immediately. Dogs that have survived traumatic events can develop signs of fear, anxiety, and stress, and present symptoms like trying to escape or flee; avoidance behaviors like hiding or avoiding eye contact; freezing in place; restlessness, pacing, or crouching low to the ground; decreased appetite; or shaking, howling, barking, drooling, or panting. 

Acute reactions generally subside within three months, but sometimes these don’t pass, and animals can develop anxiety and depression. There have been numerous peer-reviewed, published studies on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in pets, including a meta-analysis of 10 studies appearing in Frontiers in Psychology a decade ago under the title “Animal-Assisted Intervention for trauma: a systematic literature review.”

The inclusion of animals in psychological treatment is not new, nor is it uncommon. The first reported occurrence is estimated to be in the late eighteenth century, when animals were incorporated into mental health institutions to increase socialization among patients, the authors wrote. 

A study called “Inside the Mind of a Traumatized Dog: Does Canine PTSD exist, and if so, is it similar to PTSD in humans?” was written seven years ago by Sarah Drobny and Dr. Leah Miller on Gunner, a heroic war dog who uncovered explosive booby traps and weapons in Afghanistan. Despite being placed on Prozac, he became nervous and eventually stopped eating.

Finally, he was diagnosed with canine PTSD and returned home, but he continues to suffer from it, just as PTSD affects humans. Such dogs usually try to inwardly understand the experience and are suffering from “mental scars.” Gunner was adopted by Dan and Debra Dunham, who are also healing alongside him because of the heroic death of their son Jason, a Marine. Thanks to the immense patience of the Dunhams, Gunner was making progress.