Shy Dogs of Sderot

by Jerry Waxman
Sderot Israel

A Best Friend Is Hard To Find:
Before Malka came to Israel, my social life was pretty nil. True, I was never much for going out, hanging out, or visiting people’s houses. Also true that before Malka came here, my appetite for socializing was hardly voracious. Nevertheless, I welcomed company if it came to me – in the form of a bird or a cat or a dog.

Of course, birds are really hard to get to know. They don’t hang around the same trees for too long. While they might be curious about humans who try to talk with them, they aren’t anxious to meet them.

Cats on the other hand relate to people a little differently. The ones in Sderot live side by side with humans, even while they follow a policy of separation. In Sderot, maybe throughout Israel, it is a rare cat that allows itself to be pet by a person. They may stare straight at you, and you might think it is an overture to friendliness. But don’t be surprised – or overwhelmed with grief – if every cat you ever see runs away the second you get close.

My best friend in Sderot
A true friend once lived next door.

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Dogs of Sderot are different still. Not just different from cats. They’re different from dogs in other towns. It’s in their nature to be friendly with people, but some of their spirit has been taken away. They are shy. They keep their distance from people they don’t know.

Someone once told me it’s post traumatic stress syndrome because of the rockets that have fallen in Sderot. Maybe there’s some truth to that. More likely, they have learned to distrust humans. The way many people treat dogs in Sderot, it is no wonder they don’t smile when people show up.

There are exceptions: A few dogs around town let me past their anti-human prejudice. When I would approach them they would approach me, instead of run away. Within minutes they’d put their head conveniently under my palm to be pet, as if we were old acquaintences.

While it’s comforting to be trusted by a dog here and there, these dogs never think of playing with a human. In fact, they hardly ever play with each other. In fact any suggestion of play gets greeted with a look that says, “When are you going to take life seriously?” The dogs of Sderot are different.

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Best Friends

With all this going on, you can imagine my delight when I finally met a dog who was normal. A big white puppy who has not gotten to know the kassams or the warning signals. When I first met this dog – whose name I never learned – she was always with an older dog. I supposed they were related, and I supposed the older dog protected the younger one. So it could be that my friend never was too mistreated by humans.

Of course she was constantly wary and suspicious of people. But she came to accept me as a friend.

More than once, I would be walking merrily along, when all of a sudden I’d feel something attack my hand or my leg from behind. Just as I’d turn to see who it could possibly be, that white dog would jump in front of me, and then jump on me, grabbing my hand in mock battle. That white dog knew how to play like a dog.

Well, I looked forward to introducing that dog to Malka when she came to Israel. But the dog must’ve moved. She’s never at the park, and she’s never out in her front yard. She must’ve moved to a different neighborhood.

So my best friend isn’t around here any more. Yet, I’ll be thankful to her for waiting until Malka got here. Not an exact replacement, but Malka more than makes up for her canine deficiencies.