Fighting for her life – a young dog whose throat was slashed is now hospitalized in the Society's clinic
Yesterday we got yet another painful reminder of how unbearably cruel man can be towards animals and the terrible price animals have to pay when it is their misfortune to meet up with humans who treat them so inhumanely.
During the morning a man reached the shelter run by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel, asking to hand in a mixed-breed German Shepherd. The staff immediately noticed a deep gash on the dog’s neck and upon examination of the area, was shocked to discover that the dog’s throat had been slashed. The person who brought in the dog, a truck driver who refused to leave any identifying details, claimed that while he was driving through a public area in Kfar Kassam, he noticed the dog tied to a fence and rushed him over to us.
Veterinary examination revealed that the dog is an eight-month-old, mixed-breed German Shepherd, badly dehydrated and suffering from malnutrition. The deep wound, that is still life-threatening, was apparently caused as a result of her being tied up for an extended period of time by a collar or iron chain. It is not surprising that after all the suffering she went through, this young dog is scared and introvert.
The veterinarians hurried to treat her and now she is hospitalized, receiving medical treatment and under constant medical supervision. The Society’s team are working to save her life, give her a chance to survive and to find her a loving and pampering home that will make up for all the incredible suffering she underwent. “She really deserves to find a loving home” says Hagit Levy, an adoption counselor in the Society who has taken over the care of the dog. “We hope that she will survive the next few days and once she undergoes a period of rehabilitation we will make every effort to find her a warm home”.
The details of the case were handed over to the Israeli Police and to Dr. Deganit Ben Dov, Supervisor of the Law for the Protection of Animals in the Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Veterinary Services, asking her to open an investigation into the case.
We call on all members of the public to keep an eye open and to be vigilant: To take note of the condition of animals and report any animal in distress that they come across. The Society can be contacted at phone number *4553. Alertness can prevent much suffering and pain.
From the Cold Streets to a Warm Home
Dog and newborn puppies abandoned on street finds adoptive home
In the ugly and cruel display of puppy abandonment and separation of puppies from their mother at too early an age that we encounter every day, heartless owners frequently abandon the mother who recently gave birth to the puppies. Four months ago, we received a perfect two-year-old mixed breed bitch that was abandoned on the street along with her four puppies that were only several days old. A passerby who spotted the mother with the four puppies in the area contacted the SPCA and a rescue car rushed over there to collect them.
After a veterinarian examination found that all five dogs were healthy, they were transferred to a quiet facility and even given names: the mother – Daisy and the four puppies – Toffee, Lainey, Kate and William.
Daisy, who revealed herself to be a charming dog and devoted mother, raised her puppies for two months. She was then transferred to the department for dogs being placed for adoption. To our delight, Daily quickly found a warm, loving home with the Rosen family from Rishon le Zion, who was searching for an adult, gentle and trained dog.
Keren and Amit Rosen playing with Daisy
The four puppies were forced to wait several more weeks until they were sufficiently large and strong to receive vaccinations and to undergo spaying and neutering. During this period, they were showered with pampering and love by the employees. Over the past two weeks, all of the puppies were adopted, and the royal couple Kate and William were adopted together by the same owners.
Yaffa Lushensky from Kiryat Gat with Toffee
The abandonment of Daisy and the four puppies ended well but many puppies, as well as many adult dogs and cats, that are thrown into the streets are not so lucky. If you encounter an abandoned animal, please do not ignore it but contact us at *4553.
A Magical Dog
Having suffered from burns and undergoing recuperation in the SPCA, Kessem is looking for an adoptive home
Please let me introduce you to Kessem (Magic) – an adorable, one-and-a-half year old, mixed-breed German Shepherd, who reached the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel a month ago.
Kessem was found wandering near a garage in the area of Kfar Kassem and when she was brought to the Society by a passer-by she was in very bad condition: She was suffering from burns and infected sores on her back and shoulders, apparently caused by some chemical substance that had been poured on her, as well as a huge amount of fleas and ticks.
It took two days for the medical staff to remove the fleas and ticks from Kessem’s body, since her condition prohibited the use of sprays. During the following weeks, Kessem was treated with antibiotics for the prevention of infection, and with special creams for treating burns as well as analgesics. She also received a great deal of love and warmth from the Society’s staff and volunteers.
One month ago – serious burns on her back
Today Kessem is completely well, and has also been spayed. The few scars that remain on her back are almost totally covered by new hair and she is more than ready to start a new chapter in her life. The Society’s staff testifies that Kessem is an attentive dog with a huge soul and that whoever adopts her will gain a loyal friend for life.
A Dog’s Life
Dog rescued after having fallen into a polluted reservoir
Many dogs love to splash around in water and there is no question that these hot days invite a cool, refreshing dunk but for an eight-year-old abandoned Labrador that was apparently suffering from heavy thirst and longing to drink, jumped in over her head into a trap with no way out. Fortunately, her life was saved thanks to another successful rescue by SPCA Israel.
This week, the SPCA Israel Hotline received a call from Avshalom Cohen from Kibbutz Yavne about a dog that was trapped in the sewage reservoir located in the agricultural lands and used to treat polluted water for agricultural purposes. As in many other cases, the local authority was supposed to help the dog but the Ashdod Municipal Association informed Cohen that they cannot help and referred him to the SPCA Israel.
Eyal Gatenyu, an animal rescuer with SPCA Israel, immediately traveled to the site, where he discovered that the walls of the reservoir were covered with slippery nylon. The dog was swimming in the pool, holding her head above water with her last remaining strength and was unable to extract herself.
With a rope that he brought with him, Gatenyu tied one end to his body. After one hour of efforts, Gatenyu finally managed to tie the other end of the rope onto the dog’s body and drag the dog out of the polluted and dangerous water. Based on the level of the dog’s exhaustion, it appears that the dog had been trapped in the reservoir since the early morning hours at minimum and possibly since the day before. According to Gatenyu, if they hadn’t arrived within a reasonable amount of time, the dog probably would have died a horrible death.
The dog was immediately transferred to the SPCA Israel’s veterinary clinic, where he underwent a medical bath that includes treatment in water with material that calms the skin and anti-flea and tic treatment. SPCA Israel veterinarian Dr. Aya Perry reported that the dog was placed under medical supervision and that an examination of the dog revealed an enlarged lymph node, possibly indicating erlichiosis and other tumors but only laboratory tests can determine whether these growths are cancerous. The dog also suffers from a skin disease called Demodex.
The miserable dog did not have a chip and was apparently abandoned by its owner. We hope to find a suitable, responsible family to raise her once she recovers.
We wish to express our gratitude to Avshalom Cohen for his alertness and insistence on helping to rescue the dog. The SPCA Israel encourages the Israeli public to be aware of the suffering of animals and to ensure that no animals are abandoned and left to their fate. It is important to realize that animals need us and we cannot get along without them. We must therefore be responsible for their safety. If you encounter an animal in distress, please do not ignore and contact the SPCA Israel at *4553.
Poncho’s New Life
Having suffered abuse and undergone rehabilitation in the Society's clinic, Poncho has finally found a warm home
Poncho, a four-year-old, mixed-breed poodle, was the victim of human irresponsibility, abandonment and neglect. Good fortune did not shed its light in his direction until the happy and exciting moment when he was adopted this week and given a new home.
Two months ago a person came to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel, Tel-Aviv with the aim of handing over a poodle named Poncho. According to him, he had received the dog from its previous owners eight months earlier, without formally registering the change in ownership or registering him in the micro-chip center. He had then reached the conclusion that he could no longer take care of the dog.
The Society’s staff managed to locate the legal owners who undertook to take the dog back that same day from the present owner. Two days later, the same person returned to the Society, claiming that the legal owners hadn’t come to pick up the dog and threatening to throw the dog into the streets unless the Society took him in. The staff put pressure on the legal owners who, in the long run, waived their rights of ownership, thus allowing the Society to find an adoptive home for him.
During the routine medical check-up, which every animal taken in by the Society undergoes, the Society’s veterinarian, Dr. Lena Algerbeli, discovered that he had been the victim of abuse, that his long coat hid a wounded throat and perforated right ear. The serious injuries had been caused by an infected rubber cord that had been threaded through a hole in his ear and then tied tightly around his neck. Apart from this horrible abuse, Poncho was in a serious condition of neglect with a thick mass of knots and tangles in his hair.
Poncho’s long coat hid a wounded throat and perforated right ear
Poncho was treated and rehabilitated in the Society’s clinic over a period of many weeks, under the strict medical supervision of the veterinary staff. The trauma that he underwent did not affect his disposition and he turned out to be a charming and social dog, who greatly enjoyed the attention heaped upon him by the staff and volunteers in the Society. At the same time the Society filed a complaint with the police against Poncho’s owners.
This week the story came to a happy ending, when a long-time friend, Estergia Bitran from Kfar Saba, came to the Society. Estergia has already adopted two dogs from the Society, both of whom died of old age. Since she has had good adoption experiences and formed strong ties with the dogs, she insisted upon coming to the Society in Tel Aviv, even though she does not have her own transport or live close by. When she saw Poncho, she fell in love with him at first sight and the Society staff parted from them both with great emotion and joy.
Poncho with his new owner
Condition Serious but Stable
Mother dog’s life is saved after her unborn puppy blocked the cervix during delivery
Last week, at ten o’clock at night, the bell rang at the Society’s door. The guard, used to receiving abandoned animals at all hours of the night, was surprised, upon opening the gate, to find a ten-year-old girl with a medium-sized dog in her arms. According to the child, she had found the dog lying on the road and had run to help her.
The guard rushed to let the dog in while taking note that she was in the advanced stages of delivery. Dr. Lena Algrabli, the Society’s veterinarian, who was alerted to the clinic, discovered that the large puppy was dead and was lodged in the cervix. Dr. Algrabli hastened to perform an emergency hysterectomy and discovered that the entire uterus was in advanced stages of decomposition, indicating that the bitch had been in labor for quite a number of long days.
The one-and-a-half year-old mongrel dog was named Pappy, and the staff is lavishing love and attention on her. Pappy’s recovery from the trauma and life-saving surgery will be prolonged. At present she is under medical supervision in the clinic and is being administered intravenous liquids and antibiotics. In the past few days some slight improvement in her condition is discernible but she is not yet out of danger.
Pappy’s story raises more than a few questions and points of consideration: How is it possible that a bitch can be in labor for such a long time without anyone noticing her? Why has she no micro chip? How is such a young child wandering around alone in the area of the Society so late at night? Did the bitch go into labor in some house before being cruelly thrown out into the streets? Did she give birth to other puppies before this larger one blocked her cervix? If so, what was their fate?
We hope that Pappy will recover rapidly and will find a warm home, where she will be raised with the love and responsibility that all animals deserve.
The Chief Comes Home
A Doberman Puppy with Crushed Leg is Rehabilitated in the Society Clinic
One pleasant, early summer Saturday, Anaan Akila decided to take his dog, Chief, a pedigree Doberman puppy of five months of age, for a walk on the beach. Chief, full of curiosity, who was tied in the back of a truck, noticed a cat standing on the sidewalk adjoining the road and jumped out at the cat, while the truck was moving. Anaan, concerned by the noise of the impact as well as the loud cries, immediately stopped the truck and discovered that his dog was bleeding, his bones were crushed and a deep wound exposed his flesh.
Anaan rushed Chief to the Society’s clinic, where it was decided to operate immediately. During long, and complicated orthopedic surgery the vets tended Chief’s crushed bones and he was compelled to stay in the Society for many weeks to undergo rehabilitation and medical observation. Anaan was told that it was difficult to assess to what extent Chief could be rehabilitated but that it was likely that he would limp for the rest of his life.
Anaan went home that night consumed with thoughts of the terrible events of the day, and after much deliberation, decided that he was not capable of leaving Chief and that his dog’s fate was inseparable from his own. Despite being advised by his friends to abandon the dog, Anaan came to the Society every day to visit Chief and to take him for walks. According to Anaan, he became more attached to Chief, whom he had received from a neighbor who wished to abandon him when he was only two months old.
This week Chief was able to go home, and according to Anaan, Chief’s joy and happiness is contagious, affecting everyone who sees him, and that he can even manage to cope with the steps up to his home.
Stevie Sees the Light
Following sight restoration surgery, Stevie has also found a warm home
This week all the staff and volunteers in the Society were moved as they made their farewells to Stevie, a mixed-breed terrier puppy who had lived with us for the past six months and had just found a warm home.
Stevie came to us at the age of three months, along with his two sisters, when the family who reared their mother could not find a solution for them. A few days later, his two sisters were adopted, and we discovered that Stevie (who was named after the famous singer, Stevie Wonder) had sight problems and that he was almost totally blind.
Dr. Chavi Tzarfati of The Eyecare Clinic, examined Stevie and determined that he suffered from puppy cataracts in both eyes, and that surgery to restore his eyesight, even after major discounts, would cost thousands of Shekels. The Society started to make every effort for the surgery to take place and by advertising the story in the media and on our Facebook page, the necessary funds were collected and an artificial lens was implanted in Stevie’s eye.
Stevie remained in the Society for the following six months, during which time he underwent surgery and follow-up examinations, until Snir Cohen and Yossi Avraham, who were touched by Stevie’s story, decided to provide him with a warm and loving home.
Tabitha is looking for a home
A rubber band put around Tabitha's tail led to gangrene. After surgery and full recovery she is waiting impatiently for a family to adopt her
The suffering and pain that was experienced by Tabitha, a mixed breed female dog of ten months, is impossible to describe in words. After emergency surgery and a period of recuperation, the smile returned to her face, and we presently hope to find her a warm home with responsible owners.
About a month ago a supervisor from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the one in charge of the Triangle Area, reported about a dog that was being abused. The report was passed to the official veterinarian of the area, Dr. Abu Raz, who went out to search for the wandering dog. When he found it he saw that on the upper part of its tail a rubber band was tightly wound causing a serious infection. A representative of the Society was sent out immediately to collect the dog from Taibeh and to bring it quickly to the veterinary clinic to receive treatment. The veterinarian of the Society, Dr. Aya Peri, found that the rubber band around the tail caused severe infection that developed into gangrene, and rushed to operate on it.The fact that the band was place close to the base of the tail changed the operation into one that was more complicated and longer, and in the course of it the tail was cut off.
The rubber band around the tail caused severe infection
During the next month the dog, which was named Tabitha, was under medical supervision and received devoted care by the entire staff of the Society. During this period she was found to be very friendly, and today she is ready to start a new and happier chapter in her life.
If Tabitha’s story has touched your heart strings, and if you are ready to link your fate with hers, you can get more details from the office of the Society.
Unfortunately we do not know who abused Tabitha and abandoned her to suffer terribly, since there was no electronic chip in her body. If you take notice of any animal that suffered abuse or neglect, please don’t hesitate to report this to us. Thus we will be able to prevent unnecessary suffering in animals, to rehabilitate them and to provide them with a better future.
On Dogs and Thieves
21 dogs and puppies that were abandoned in a quarry were rescued by the Society in the wake of a report by a resident of Beit Aryeh on the disappearance of the settlement's dogs
Two months ago the residents of Beit Aryeh woke up to a new reality in which their dogs began to disappear mysteriously. From inquiries and investigations that the dog owners carried out, it appeared that a policeman who lived in the settlement was picking up the dogs and throwing them into the Natouf Quarry near Modi’in without food or water, thereby sealing their fate. Three weeks ago two of the residents of Beit Aryeh turned to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Israel with a report on the matter. After a thorough investigation and a meeting with those who were making the complaint, all the details were made clear to the representatives of the Society.
The episode began when Milky, the beloved dog of Lee Elbaz, a resident of Beit Aryeh, disappeared. After searching and inquiring of the other residents, she was told that a policeman who lives in the settlement was seen picking the dog up into his private jeep and driving away. Lee went to the policeman’s home accompanied by family members, where she recorded the conversation on her cellular phone. During the course of the conversation Lee asked the policeman about the dog, and he admitted that he had picked up a dog that was wandering around the streets of the settlement and threw it into the Natouf Quarry. He claimed that within his authority as a policeman he was acting according to the law, which allows him even to kill the dog.
Lee and her family were shocked and they hurried to search for Milky, and after a few days they found the dog not far from the quarry. After that the family went to the Police Station in Mesubim and registered a complaint against the policeman for abuse of animals.
Lee, who was enraged by the words of the policeman, decided to open a group in Facebook against him and put out a petition calling for his dismissal from the Israel Police because of abuse of animals and taking the law into his own hands. In the wake of the police officer’s appeal to Facebook, the group was closed and Lee’s page in Facebook was blocked. Furthermore, the policeman himself signed the petition and wrote in the notes, distorting the meaning of the law for the protection of animals: “A municipal veterinarian, a supervisor or a police officer who goes to grab a dog, by the power of the authority invested in him according to the law, and if because of the behavior of the dog it is not possible to grab it without imminent tangible danger of injury to life or limb, to him or another, is permitted to kill it”. The petition was also signed by many residents living in Beit Aryeh whose dogs disappeared and after inquiries it was found that the policeman had a hand in the matter, and the dogs were found at the Natouf Quarry site.
In the middle of January a Labrador named Nila disappeared. It belonged to Zeev Leket, a resident of Beit Aryeh and a student of law. Leket went straight to the home of the policeman where he recorded his conversation with him. During that conversation the officer admitted that he was involved in the disappearance of the dogs in the settlement, but in this case he was not in the area for three days, so he knew nothing about what happened to the dog. Leket went out to search for Nila at the quarry, and began by asking questions of the workers at the site about the dog.
The workers told him that they remembered well the jeep of the policeman and that they saw him throwing dogs into the quarry dozens of times. As to Nila, the workers told him that after a number of days of seeing that she was chased by a pack of dogs, one of the workers took her to his home. Leket drove to the house of that worker, and to his great joy he found Nila.
Leket decided that the situation in which a policeman becomes a sheriff and takes the law into his own hands is not acceptable, and together with Lee he turned to a few voluntary organizations that work for the welfare of animals, which refused to help them. On the edge of despair the two of them turned to the Society with a request for help, and in their complaint they stated that at the quarry there still were dozens of abandoned puppies and adult dogs in serious condition.
A team from the Society went out immediately to the quarry with veterinarians and additional workers with the goal of rescuing the dogs. After getting permission from the manager of the site, they began to search for them together with residents of Beit Aryeh who came to assist in the efforts. Little by little they discovered more and more emaciated dogs, among them two week old puppies. All the dogs were taken to the Society and were transferred immediately to the veterinary clinic.
In the words of Dr. Aya Perry, the Society’s veterinarian: “The condition of the dogs was extremely poor. The mothers of the puppies were in a severe state of malnutrition and they even refrained from eating, and their pups were having diarrhea and were in a very poor state of health, suffering from worms. The dogs are in quarantine and are under medical supervision, and the mothers are being kept alive by vitamins and fluids”.
These days the Society is working on the judicial and parliamentary fronts. The complaint registered with the police has been passed on to the Internal Investigations Department of the Israel Police, and we hope that that unit will bring the police officer to justice. Furthermore, a scathing letter was sent to the Minister of Internal Security, Yitzchak Aharonovitch, and an urgenty meeting was held on the matter with the Minister of Environmental Protection, Gilead Arden.
It is important to make it clear that a situation in which a person takes the law into his own hands is unacceptable, how much more so when we are speaking about a police officer. According to the law, a policeman has the authority to collect roaming dogs, but he must bring them to one of the municipal dog pounds and not abandon them in an isolated place.
The dogs that were gathered from the Natouf Quarry have gotten stronger over the last few weeks and will soon be eligible for adoption. We call upon the wide public to come to the Society, to adopt the dogs and to give them warm and loving homes. Moreover, we ask the public to be alert for anything concerning abandoned and suffering animals, and to quickly report any instance of abuse or neglect that comes to their attention.
