Stray Dog Rescued After Tin Can Traps Its Head at Army Post in the South

A stray dog that had come from the Gaza Strip into the western Negev was rescued this week after its head got stuck in a tin can. Eshkol Western Negev inspectors found the dog and field inspector Dudu Avitan saved its life. The dog was then taken for medical treatment at one of the municipal kennels.

A tour of the area found that garbage bins at military bases are drawing stray dogs. At almost every outpost and base visited, the bins were open and the trash bags torn. Hungry dogs were seen entering the sites, dragging and ripping plastic bags to eat the contents. Other strays were also found under military vehicles, including tanks, where they were seeking shade from the sun.

The IDF said stray dogs in Israel are the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and local authorities, but added that it takes an expansive approach and works proactively to help address the problem. The army said it has taken steps to reduce animals’ access to waste, including replacing low bins with taller ones, installing gates at outposts to limit animal entry, and carrying out routine commander oversight and cleaning inspections. The IDF also said soldiers are forbidden to initiate contact with animals for health and security reasons.

The Israeli Companion Animal Veterinary Medicine Organization said the Ministry of Agriculture is acting without a preventive, proactive, and budgeted strategy, arguing that the current response is reactive and focuses on firefighting rather than broad vaccination campaigns in high-risk areas. The group warned that rabies, which began breaking out in the north and is now spreading toward central Israel, could reach the south.