lizrael update

So long, Stella.

I had been contemplating it for a while and came to the conclusion - not on my own, though - that Stella needed a better living situation (and so did my husband). I realized that there was no way my apartment could feel harmonious with those two animals living on top of each other. I’ve always been one to ignore my gut feelings but I guess in this case I couldn’t take the gnawing and I knew it was time to do what is best for all.

So, as of last week, she is living with a healthy-sized American family from suburban Beit Shemesh. With kids, a yard and a second dog, Stella has everything she needs now. My cohabitant is back to his cheery self again (strumming guitar and doing Green Day impressions in a Yiddish accent as I type this).

Me? I miss her. Sometimes I get home and call, “Stells!” like the old times. Ok, fine, that’s just to annoy my husband.

Here is my humble tribute to Stella, just the way I think she’d like it, minus chewed-up corners:

Before I land in the doghouse…

So… My tail’s between my legs. Not everyone has been as enthusiastic about my gorgeous, yummy Canaani girl as I’ve been.
I’ve been forced to focus on looking for another good home for Stella. She needs an energetic family and a yard. If we were moving out of our little Jerusalem apartment sooner, I’d try to hold on but we just don’t have concrete plans yet.

Sigh…

Doggy etiquette.

I didn’t have a dog in the States, but I knew (or assumed) enough about doggy etiquette by watching Americans in my area walk their dogs.

Americans:
- Hold their dogs on a shorter leash when passing by other people and dogs.
- Rarely let their dogs run loose unless in a dog-specific park.
- Are careful about letting their dogs and dogs with which they aren’t familiar play with each other.
- Usually never leave dog shit on the sidewalk or let their dogs pee in other people’s yards.
- Won’t assume a dog is allowed in a store, restaurant or other indoor area (because they’re not).
- Are generally very polite in the dog walking world.

American law enforcement makes a noticable presence; signs plead to dog walkers to clean up after their pets and “No dog” signs are prominent in places where dogs are not allowed.

Israelis:
-Pretty much don’t follow a certain guideline; some are polite, many are not.

I’ve been following my American guidelines for the last two weeks she’s been with me. I figure someone has to.

Caring for the kalba.

I never had a dog in America. I don’t know what the vet experience is like back there.

But, not surprisingly, the vet experience here is very… Israeli. I just get this feeling that the same laid-back attitude that pervades all other areas of life (especially government offices) is not absent within the walls of the animal doctors.

Tonight Stella and I made our third trip to the clinic of Tza’ar Baalei Chaim, the Jerusalem SPCA.

Third in one week, you ask?

Well, the first two we were sent off with gentle pats and compliments for my dog, but no suggestions as to why my bitch was going through some - ahem - visually upsetting symptoms.

“She’s fine… Aren’t you Stella? Wow, she is cute.”**

Thanks, but there is still blood coming out of unwanted places, doc.

Well, third times a charm and now I hold a perscription for doggy antibiotics to be filled tomorrow (and a fourth apointment for next week).

Where do doggy perscriptions get filled, you ask?

At Super-Pharm, where else…

**This is Stella, and wow, she is cute:

Meet my little friend.

If you know me, you know I’m crazy for dogs - big, chunky, friendly, loyal, happy dogs. Dogs that run up to you when you come home. Dogs that look you in the eye. Dogs that trust you and are trustworthy themselves.

Dogs are magnificent animals.

For the last 24 years, I never had the chance to adopt one. Living under my parents’ roof, I was told that my dad was ‘allergic’ (unwilling in dadspeak); living on campus pets were prohibited; since I made aliyah I didn’t live in one place long enough until last February; since then I was planning a wedding, going on a month-long trip and settling down to ‘real’ life.

Well, here we are, mid-November 2006.
And here she is: Stella, the most chilled out dog (or living thing) in the Middle East.

She is of the Canaan breed; native to Israel (makes sense with a name like ‘Canaan‘).

A little history:

The Canaan Dog began in ancient times as a pariah dog in Israel. This dog is one of the oldest, dating back to biblical times. The Canaan Dog was the guard and herd dog of the ancient Israelites, guarding their camps and flocks. They were plentiful in the region until the dispersion of the Israelites by the Romans in the 2nd Century, CE. As the Hebrew population dropped, the majority of the dogs sought refuge in the Negev Desert, a natural reservoir of Israeli wildlife. Avoiding extinction, they remained undomesticated for the most part, although some lived with the Bedouins and earned their keep by guarding the herds and camps. Some were also guards for the Druze on Mount Carmel.