Canaana dog in the US
Indigenous Israeli dogs find warm homes in US
While Canaan breed dogs are originally from Israel, most Israelis prefer not to adopt them; these dogs, companions to people in the area for thousands of years, are instead finding new warm and loving homes in the US.
About 20 Canaan mixed dogs, which have waiting to be adopted in shelters and were about to be put down in Israel, have been flown to the US, where each one of them will be adopted to a nice and comfortable home.
The Canaan in the only dog breed indigenous to Israel, and is one of the oldest domesticated dog breeds in the world, with remains of the breed being found in Iron Age settlements throughout Israel.
The dog is loyal and easy to train, and has been used throughout history as a guard dog and a work dog.
Yet for some reason, Israelis haven't connected to the breed. When families go to a shelter to pick out a family pet, they almost never pick a Canaan.
Canaan dogs on their way to the US
The plight of these dogs was brought to the attention of Avital Rosen, 39, from Givatayim, and who has been working in the US rescuing strays. Her organization finds dogs in shelters, gets in touch with prospective dog owners throughout the US, and flies the dogs directly to their new families, all on her own dime.
When she returned to Israel a year ago, Avital decided to start a similar project with the Canaans.
"I said to myself that if we were able to save dogs from being put down in the US, there's no reason not to do it here. It's really saving them from the clutches of death. That’s the bitter end that's waiting for a dog which is in a shelter which no one wants to adopt."
Rosen has flown 113 Canaans to families in the US since she started working in 2015.
Her eyes are full of joy on the heels of her latest successful mission; saving 20 dogs from shelters in Jerusalem and Dimona, and sending them to warm and loving homes in Los Angeles.
