Petel, the dog who saved her family on Oct 7, dies of wounds

Petel, a dog that was credited with saving her family from Hamas terrorists on October 7th in Kibbutz Be’eri, has died of her wounds, the Ynet news site reports.

Members of the Ben Zvi family tell the news site that when terrorists tried to enter their home, they heard Petel’s barking, both from the dog and through a baby monitor that was left on, and fled.

The dog, who had previously been lying quietly in the safe room, petrified by the explosions, suddenly began “barking like crazy” when they tried to break down the door.

“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,” says Ela Ben Zvi.

However, the family were forced to leave the dog in the house when they were evacuated by soldiers later in the day, because of her size.

They left her in a bedroom with food and water, planning to come back and get her later.

However, other soldiers carrying out searches in the kibbutz believed there were terrorists in the house and opened fire. Petel was hit by shrapnel and wounded.

The soldiers, realizing their mistake, managed to get Petel to a vet, Ben Zvi says. She was treated and eventually returned to her family.

However, Ben Zvi says she died this week.

“She was with us and received a lot of love, hugs and pets. But she was an older dog, 11 years old. And she went through a lot and spent a lot of energy on her rehabilitation and recovery. There were several people who told us that she held on a little longer to be with us, and then she was let go.”

מתה הכלבה פטל, שהצילה את בני משפחתה ב-7/10 בבארי. מחבלים נכנסו לבית משפחת בן צבי בקיבוץ, אך כששמעו את הנביחות הבלתי פוסקות של פטל בסטריאו נמלטו מהבית. כשלוחמי צה"ל חילצו את בני המשפחה – הם ביקשו להשאיר את הכלבה בבית בשל גודלה, אך היא נפגעה מרסיסים כמה ימים מאוחר יותר pic.twitter.com/4YTwwAwqkC

— ilana curiel (@ilanacuriel) June 3, 2024