White Shepherd

A white shepherd was found running loose in the dog rescuer's neighborhood.
She made several calls and was able to find a temporary foster home for the dog. She also advertised the dog on the internet. One Beer Sheva loves Animals volunteer agreed to keep the dog for two days until I would have time to transport it.

Another volunteer foster in Tel Aviv agreed to take the dog. Meanwhile, someone was interested in adopting the dog. It was decided that I would transport the dog by train from Beer Sheva to Tel Aviv. The foster in Tel Aviv would pick the dog up at the train station and take it home. The potential adopter could then contact the Tel Aviv foster for adoption.

Beer Sheva Loves Animals Meeting

Last night, Bernie and I attended our first Beer Sheva loves Animals meeting. They have a Facebook page, so you can add them on there.
The living room was crowded with 30 young people, mostly University students. The founder of the group spoke about how three of them met to begin this non profit group devoted to animal care in Beer Sheva. The room was full of positive energy and dedication to animals. Since our Hebrew skills are pitiful, one of the volunteers sat with us and translated the entire meeting.

Bus Station Dog

Bernie and I travel to Jerusalem three times a week to attend Ulpan. We catch a bus from the Beer Sheva Central Bus Station at 6 AM. One morning, a black shepherd showed up at the station. He was begging from the soldiers who were waiting to board the bus. After not receiving anything from them, he laid down in the bus lane. The bus was due in a few minutes.
Bernie and I couldn't stand watching this dog and wanted to do something.
I had a lead in my purse. I just happen to carry dog treats, a lead, and a muzzle in my purse at all times. I told Bernie he could try to put the lead on the dog, but to be careful. Some dogs freak if you put something around their necks. He easy got the lead on the dog and the dog followed him. The only thing we could think of was to call the dog rescuer we know in town. But, it was 6 AM and not everybody is as crazy as we are and is up at that hour.
I decided that I would take responsibility for the dog and that it was more important for Bernie to go to Hebrew class. So, I walked out of the bus station with the dog on a lead.

From Dimona to Tel Aviv

The Beer Sheva dog rescuer and I traveled by bus to Dimona to pick up two adult dogs and three puppies. One adult was the mother we had rescued from the open field and two of the puppies were hers. We traveled by bus with all five dogs to Tel Aviv. There, at the bus station, two volunteers took four of the dogs into foster and one family came to adopt one of the adult dogs.

Beer Sheva Pet Adoption Day

The week after our Dimona dog rescue, we attended a Pet Adoption Day for dogs and cats in Beer Sheva. It was held near Ben Gurion University. Many of the rescued animals were from the Beer Sheva Shelter. This is a poster from the Negev Animals group. Beer Sheva is located in the Negev region of Israel.

Dimona Dog Shelter

We miss not having a dog around the house and we also miss being able to foster rescue dogs. So, we contacted a woman who does dog and cat rescue in the neighborhood. She lives only a few blocks away and currently has 4 or 5 cats and 7 dogs.
We offered assistance whenever needed. She called a few days later and said someone reported a mother dog and two puppies in a field in Dimona. Dimona is about twenty minutes away from Beer Sheva by bus. The three of us took the bus out there. Just on the edge of the town at what in the States would be called a truck stop, we got off the bus and started searching. Soon, we heard a puppy barking.
Two little puppies were on a mound in the middle of an empty lot. One of the puppies was barking to defend his territory. The rescue woman had brought food with her and she spread some out for the puppies. They were very distrustful of people. A few minutes later, the mother dog appeared. She came running from the other end of the lot. She greeted us with warmth and snugged to be petted. She had obviously had more positive experiences with people than her pups. After mom assured the puppies that we were okay, the pups came to eat the food.
The barking puppy had a long tail and I wondered if it was a male dog. The other puppy was quiet and had no tail at all.
The dog rescuer made many cell phone calls in order to decide what to do with the dogs. She and I went to get some lunch at the truck stop. Bernie stayed behind to see if he could win the trust of the puppies. The rescuer contacted the local shelter which has a good reputation. The shelter was aware of the dogs and would send out a trapper to catch them. We thought we had time to have lunch and then go back to Bernie and the dogs. But, the trapper from the shelter arrived while we were still gone.
Bernie didn't know if he should let the man take the dogs or not. He couldn't reach me on my cell phone. Finally, I got his call and we went to meet them in the lot. By the time we got there, the trapper had all three dogs in the truck. He let us all ride with him to the shelter.
The dogs are safer in the shelter than out in an empty lot and the rescuer will post their pictures and stories and hope to find homes for them.

Israeli Feral Kittens

Bernie and I heard a plaintive kitten's cry. We had just moved into the Absorption Center in Beer Sheva. It was impossible to tell where the cry was coming from. The Center has a lower floor of offices and classrooms. Then four floors of apartments above. It is a glass and concrete structure, so the sound echoes off the building.
Later, Bernie was on a higher balcony and he spotted an orange tabby kitten on a rooftop across the street. "I found the kitten" he said. "It's caught on top of a roof."
We both went downstairs and crossed the street. Sure enough, this tiny kitten peered over the edge of the roof at us. There was a tree (pine?) which looked climbable and someone had laid a plank from the top of the tree to the rooftop. We thought that may have been how the kitten got on top of the roof, but now he may not know how to get back down.
I didn't want to begin my stay in Israel with the experience of observing a kitten starving to death in front of me. I carefully studied the tree. If I was at least 100 pounds lighter, I probably could have climbed it. I hadn't officially signed up for my health care in Israel, yet, but I was supposed to already be covered.
No, hurting myself, and/or the tree wasn't going to help the kitten. I called animal rescue people in Israel with whom I had communicated on the Internet. I was given the name of a cat trapper. I also called a woman who does cat rescue in Beer Sheva. She explained that there must be an adult cat caring for the kitten. It would not have survived the cold nights alone and it would cry non stop if it wasn't being fed.
I told her my husband and I would observe the kitten from the balcony. That evening, two adult cats appeared. I called the rescue woman and cat trapper with the good news. A few days later, we saw the mother cat and two kittens safely on the ground. Ironically, the rooftop was probably a good place for the mother to have her litter. It was hidden and far away from dogs and people.
This was my first lesson in Israeli feral cat behavior.