How do we save lives?
We are the Israel dog unit, established to save lives,
With minimal risk to human life.
IDU operates in two main areas:
security
Training protection dogs for patrol and security tasks, and transferring them at a subsidized price to security forces in localities, or to private individuals who need to strengthen their personal security. IDU also conducts courses, seminars, workshops and training for dog operators, as a service to the general public.
Rescue and locating missing persons
The leading civilian unit in the country for locating missing persons, through volunteers who operate special working dogs, skimmers, SUVs, divers, boats, and more. idu participates in searches due to inquiries from the Israel Police, the fire brigade, and the IDF, as well as at the request of families in need, who contact it directly.
How do we save lives?
During its years of operation, the Israel dog unit has succeeded in assisting in locating many missing persons, preventing numerous terrorist attacks and infiltrations into localities, and assisting the security forces in apprehending terrorists.
The Israel dog unit has about 200 volunteers throughout the country, 75 protection dogs embedded in security missions in localities and cities throughout the country, and about 25 rescue dogs, probing and locating casualties.
The rescue division in the unit conducts training with patrol dogs, rescue dogs, and bodies daily.
Unit members and people who have received dogs from the unit meet to learn how to properly control the dog, what proper maintenance is and how to operate the dog optimally, in order to provide protection to the owner and the community.
The unit’s trainer, a first-rate professional in the country, goes out to rotate between the various centers where dogs trained by the unit are scattered, for the continuation of the ongoing training.
Locating missing persons in Israel
Every year, about 4,000 people disappear in Israel.
Most of them are located after a relatively short time, but about 200 of them are considered missing at high risk, whose lives are in danger. About a quarter of all those missing are never located, and so every year about 50 people are added to the sad list of thousands of missing in Israel. so How do we save lives?
In 2006, we took on the difficult, frustrating, but all-important, task of searching for missing persons,
And over the years we have been privileged to take part – along with other organizations and bodies – in locating dozens of missing persons. The first way was in three special dogs for searching for missing persons, which we imported from the Netherlands from a company that specializes in the field. The expensive dogs – literally, each costing 4,000 euros – arrived in Israel together with the Dutch experts who passed on the knowledge, training, and operation of search dogs to IDU dogs. Today IDU operates over 20 dogs for the search of missing persons. Alongside the dogs, there is a whole array of volunteers who participate in various ways in the search efforts.
Our search dogs undergo thorough and comprehensive training, which includes searching for odor traces in wooded areas, in open areas, locating missing persons in ruins, in the event of a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or war, God forbid.
In addition, with the help of s dear volunteers, we are holding a unique course in Israel of searching for missing persons in the water, designed to help find missing persons who may be in water bodies.
Many times each month, our kennels are popped up for standby, or for operational search and rescue activities, which most of the time do not reach the public at all.
When you hear on the news about a building that collapsed somewhere in the country, or about a person who was reported missing to the police, for the Israel dog unit volunteers it is a call to action. At all hours of the day and night, on holidays and Saturdays, our volunteers are ready to go out and save lives.
Many of the immigrants later enlist in the IDF, continue to live in dormitories even during their military service as lone soldiers, and even participate in the unit’s activities during their vacations from the army.
the Israel dog unit performs shows with kosher dogs for the public and according to orders from schools, hospitals, children in need, as a sign of identification to encourage populations suffering from attacks in school communities, to lift their spirits, and to help cope with the difficult times they go through.
Invite the Israel dog unit to perform at special events or as part of trips of tourist groups and celebrities and family visits with Bar Mitzvah grooms from abroad, etc.
Our search unit is coordinated with the Israel Police, the IDF dog unit
Sting, Fire Department, and various rescue organizations. For the Israel Police and the IDF, the search unit of the IDU has become a professional address for the purpose of receiving real-time help, and for the joint study of the secrets of the search and search profession. This is evident by the letters of thanks and appreciation we have received over the years from various commanders in the Israel Police.
IDU
The Israel Dogs Unit operates special working dogs, skimmers, jeeps, divers, boats, and more in search of missing persons. IDU is considered the leading unit in the country in locating missing persons.
In case you know of a missing person, you should immediately report to the police through Hotline 100, or go to the nearest police station.
At the same time – call us at: 054-4876709, and give us most of the information about the missing person and the circumstances of the case.
Please note every piece of information that seems important to you, maybe the tip of the iceberg for locating the missing person!
* In case of emergency, where it is not possible to fill out the form, you can send an instant message with your name and phone number via
Click ‘Contact Us or Report Missing’, and the message will be immediately forwarded to the unit’s pager.
"To take part in locating missing persons does not necessarily mean you have to be a Professional dog trainer"
Says the commander of the the Israel dog unit, Yekutiel Ben Yaakov
“First of all, you need the dedication to locate the person and a determined decision not to give up on anyone. Even those who do not operate a dog can help a lot, by spreading information on the Internet, hanging ads, driving a jeep, helping manage the unit, and more.”.
According to Ben Yaakov, beyond the value of finding the missing person himself, the search itself encourages and saves, literally, the families of the broken missing person.
“Many times we go out searching even though we have no clue and the case seems to be ‘lost’, just because the family begged. When the family sees that she is not alone and that there are other people caring for their loved ones, it is kindness and saving lives. But when the mother of a missing person is in grief, and suddenly someone makes an effort and shows that her son is important to him, this is really can save lives. “
