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For several months, Aer has been trawling the streets of the
territory looking for abandoned canines, winning their
confidence, feeding them and restoring them to health.
"We tour the streets and distribute food for days or a week
until they get used to us and then we catch and bring them to
the society," said Aer, referring to the organization he helped
set up, the Sulala Society for Training and Caring for Animals.
It's costly and time-consuming work. Aer, a government employee,
estimates he has spent as much as $20,000 on caring for 50 dogs
so far, including vet bills and the rent on a fenced-in, 2,000
square-meter (0.5 acre) farm where they are housed.
At the farm in Zahra, south of Gaza city on the coast, young
volunteers feed the dogs by boiling chicken wings and legs in a
large pot over a wood-fired stove. When the animals are first
brought in they are kept on chains. But as they become more
domesticated, they are freer to roam and see visitors.
"They know me very well now," said Aer, 45. "As soon as I arrive
in my car, they pop up from all over the farm and come running
to me."
Dogs are considered unclean in Islam and are usually kept
outside, but there is no ban on them. Caring for animals and
pets is one of the tenets of the faith, and having a guard dog
or one that helps with hunting is not uncommon.
In fact, Aer has been surprised by the number of Gazans who want
to visit the kennels and care for the dogs. The society's
Facebook page has proved popular. Volunteers help train and walk
the animals through the streets of Zahra.
"I love dogs," said Nasser Abu Taqqeya, a 48-year-old father of
six from central Gaza, who was planning to adopt a dog called
Rex. "I will take him home so my kids will play with him and he
will guard my house."
With several thousand strays estimated to live in Gaza - a
territory that's barely 40 km (25 miles) long, 10 km wide and
home to more than 1.9 million people - Aer knows he has his work
cut out for some time to come.
But he's hoping more people will decide to adopt a dog, as long
as they are willing to sign up to the rules.
"You have to feed him, offer him water, not beat him," he said.
If people can't stick to the rules, he said, "they call us and
we will come and take him back."
(Writing by Nidal Almughrabi; editing by Luke Baker and Mark
Trevelyan)
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