Israel

My name is Michal. I am an Israeli Canadian and have been involved in animals rescue, especially in the Negev region for the past two years. I will explain the basic facts.

This is the data that I found: In the year 2022 – There were 35,000 stray dogs living in Israel. 60% live in the Negev region. (#1)

Israel has a stray dog crisis that could have been easily resolved if the Israeli government would have implemented a few steps, that animal rescuers recommended. However, the government refused to implement the necessary changes and instead chose a cruel and inhumane path. Their actions resemble the behavior of the mayor of Hebron who paid Palestinians to kill dogs. By now, the Israeli government may have even surpassed him in their inhumane behavior.

I will start by explaining what they should have done. To reduce the number stray dogs, they should sterilize them, revoked licenses of dog- breeders, (there is also a problem of illegal dog breeders who are denounced by the government, but they allow breeders with permits to operate freely). They should create large animal shelters and encourage adoptions of these dogs. The government could have eliminated tax from veterinarian bills and pet stores to make it more affordable to adopt a dog. The financial burden is one of the main reasons that Israelis do not adopt, and they often surrender their pets for the same reason.

Animal rescuers in Israel dedicate their lives to help stray animals, but the numbers are staggering, donations are declining and the government refuses to help. The Agriculture Ministry opposed sterilizing the dogs, when this was the recommended solution by Let the Animals Live. (#9) Instead, the Agriculture Ministry decided to shoot stray dogs, euthanize healthy dogs that no one wants and also poison them, which also poisons wild animals. (#2) Recently the Israeli government approved the use of PAPP poison, that was given to dogs and also harmed wildlife.

The Israeli government designated 8.1 million shekels for the years 2024-2025 to deal with the stray dogs, mainly in the Otef Aza region near Gaza. (#4) If this money would have been given to animal rescuers, they would have helped the dogs by sterilizing them, creating shelters and rehabilitating them, but instead this money was given to the Agriculture Ministry and the local municipalities, that use the money to buy poison. I am sure that millions of shekels remained, since poison is cheap. Where is this money? It did not go to rescue dogs. Meanwhile the animal rescuers in the Negev are left paying for veterinary bills and struggling to rescue even cute puppies.

Does the Israeli government Despise Gaza dogs?

I will first clarify that animal rescuers and Israeli soldiers have rescued many dogs from Gaza. Soldiers often keep the dogs in their tanks for days because they are intent on getting the dogs to Israel and rescue them. I constantly see posts online where soldiers ask for help, trying to save animals from Gaza. For the most part Israelis try to help. Animal rescuers do not care if a dog is originally from Gaza, a Bedouin village, a monastery or a Jewish town, they do their best to rescue all the dogs. The Israeli government on the other hand sees the Gaza dogs (who enter Israel) as an extra annoyance and the conclusion they reached is that killing the dogs is the best way to handle this problem. (#10) But they took it too far, not only did the Agriculture Ministry shoot the dogs, but they also poison them (an extremely cruel practice).

The Agriculture Ministry

For a moment the Agriculture Ministry acted rationally when they had a campaign to encourage adopting from shelters. They created a campaign that was supposed to air on television in 2023, asking people to adopt instead of buying dogs. (#5) The dog breeders got angry, contested the campaign which was eventually cancelled. This goes to show the power of the breeders in Israeli politics. (#6) And its not like the Agriculture Ministry really cares about dogs. They have a long history of killing dogs. They planned to shoot dogs in Mizpe Ramon but then the residents contested. This did not stop the Agriculture Ministry from killing dogs in other regions.

There are also reports of wildlife being poisoned apparently from pesticide although it could be from poisoning dogs. #8 What is clear is the agriculture ministry loves killing dogs, wildlife and animals meant for the food industry. This ministry should not be given money to “solve the dogs crisis” from Gaza or Israel.

Let the Animals Live has been an avid campaigner, trying to sterilize and protect stray dogs but its an uphill battle against dark forces. They wrote a report in 2024 for the previous year. In 2023 – thousands of dogs were killed in dog pounds and hundreds of stray dogs were killed by shooting by guns or arrows (#3) In the same year 2024, the government gave the Agriculture Ministry 1.2 million NIS, so they can help 30 municipalities to implement ethical solutions to help dogs get adopted. (#7) But of course it does not use the money to help dogs. They just find new ways to kill them.

We would like the budget that is meant for stray dogs to go directly to animal rights groups and not to the Agriculture Ministry.

1) כלב רחוב – ויקיפדיה (Street Dogs; Wikipedia).

2) אכזרי ומסוכן: ארגוני בעלי חיים נגד ההיתר להרעלת כלבים משוטטים | ישראל היום (Cruel and Dangerous: Animal Organizations Oppose the Permit to Poison Stray Dogs; Israel Hayom).

3) https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001496796 (Globes).

4) כלבים משוטטים – תקציב ייעודי לטיפול רשויות בדרום ובצפון הארץ – כאן ישראל | kanisrael | כאן נעים | kan-naim (Stray Dogs – A Designated Budget for the Treatment of Authorities in the South and North of Israel; Kan Israel).

 5) כלב לא קונים, כלב מאמצים! משרד החקלאות וביטחון המזון (A dog is Not Bought, a Dog is Adopted; Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security).

 6) הרשות השנייה נכנעה למגדלי כלבים גזעיים – והתערבה בקמפיין המעודד אימוץ | כלכליסט (The second Authority Succumbed to Purebred Dog Breeders – and Intervened in a Campaign Encouraging Adoption; Calcalist).

 7) מיזם למציאת בית חם לאלפי כלבים משוטטים • רגישות – הבית הדיגיטלי של מתמודדות ומתמודדים עם מוגבלויות בישראל (A Venture to Find a Warm Home for Thousands of Stray Dogs; Sensitivity – The Digital Home for People with Disabilities in Israel).

8) https://www.ynet.co.il/environment-science/article/rjr3sakk1 (Ynet News).

9) הרג המוני של כלבים משוטטים באזור הדרום – תנו לחיות לחיות (Mass Killing of Stray Dogs in the South; Let the Animals Live).

10) Feral Dogs from Gaza Enter Israel, Compounding Nature Authority’s War Woes (The Times of Israel).

Additional Thoughts

Most articles on this topic are in Hebrew, however I found a few articles for English speakers. In the first article you can see the typical Israeli opinion on feral dogs — as a menace. It is true there are occasional packs of dogs that can be dangerous, but for the most they are just distressed, sick, and looking for compassion and food. In this article you can also see wildlife casualties due to Agriculture pesticide poisoning. Hundreds of wildlife lose their life every year from this practice. The Agriculture Ministry shoots and poisons dogs plus they distribute agricultural pesticide. Does this sound like the type of ministry that deserves funding to deal with stray dogs in Israel?

Regarding the Bedouins and stray dogs. Bedouins do not like dogs. Most abuse cases in the Negev occur in the Bedouin regions. Also, most stray dogs live around the Bedouin settlements because there is infrequent garbage collection, and this provides a food source for the stray dogs and their puppies. The reason there are so many stray dogs in this region is because the Agriculture Ministry refuses to sterilize the dogs. They receive a budget from the government to deal with stray dogs but do nothing, except shoot them. As you can see, there was even a human casualty; a Bedouin child was killed by a stray dog. This is unfortunate and I blame the government for this neglect. However, this does not justify treating the dogs badly. Animal rescuers in the Arad region rescue and treat dogs poisoned and abused by Bedouins. Many times, Bedouins take puppies and their mother and dump them on the outskirts of Jewish towns. For this reason, we desperately need an SPCA shelter in this region, where they could bring the dogs and puppies. There are also hundreds of stray dogs and puppies living in landfills, constructions sites, and forests near Arad, Yeruham, and Beersheva. These dogs desperately need help, but the animal rescuers do not have a budget or a shelter where they can take the dogs and puppies.

1) Feral Dogs from Gaza enter Israel, Compounding Nature Authority’s War Woes (The Times of Israel).

2) Why did Israel Kill More than 2,000 Dogs in 2022? (The Forward).

3) Israel Approves Emergency Law for Euthanizing Stray Dogs near Gaza (Middle East Monitor).

4) ‘’Please Take Me Home!’’: Massive Drop in Israeli Dog Adoptions Due to War, Economy (Ynet News).