The canine hero who saved her family from Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Kibbutz Be’eri has succumbed to injuries sustained during the harrowing ordeal, according to Ynet.
According to the Ben Zvi family, Petel’s (the name means Raspberry) relentless barking alerted them to the presence of terrorists attempting to break into their home. The family credits the dog’s warning, amplified by a baby monitor, for causing the terrorists to flee the scene.
“The terrorists heard the dog in stereo. I can only assume that the scene became too complicated for them and they decided to leave the house,” Ela Ben Zvi recounted.
Tragically, when the family was evacuated by soldiers later that day, they were forced to leave Petel behind; she was traumatized by the explosions and too afraid to come out. They provided her with food and water, intending to retrieve her once the situation was resolved. However, in a devastating turn of events, soldiers conducting searches in the kibbutz mistakenly believed terrorists were present in the house and opened fire, and Petel was hit by shrapnel.
Upon realizing their mistake, the soldiers swiftly transported her to a veterinarian. After receiving medical care, she was eventually reunited with her beloved family. Despite her ordeal and advanced age of 11 years, Petel persevered “and received a lot of love, hugs and pets,” said Ben Zvi.
“But she was an older dog...and she went through a lot and spent a lot of energy on her rehabilitation and recovery,” she added. “There were several people who told us that she held on a little longer to be with us, and then she let go.”
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
