About the Book
Dog Duty: Stories of an Israeli Military K-9 Handler is a deeply personal and honest account of service in the elite canine unit Oketz of the Israel Defense Forces.
Through the rhythms of everyday military life — training, night operations, checkpoints, waiting for orders, exhaustion, and rare moments of silence — the book reveals not only what service looks like, but also offers a rare glimpse into Israel from within. In this country, the army is not a separate institution; it is part of the social fabric — its nerve, its reflection. To understand the Israeli military is to better understand the country itself, its people, and the way they think and live.
Through the rhythms of everyday military life — training, night operations, checkpoints, waiting for orders, exhaustion, and rare moments of silence — the book reveals not only what service looks like, but also offers a rare glimpse into Israel from within. In this country, the army is not a separate institution; it is part of the social fabric — its nerve, its reflection. To understand the Israeli military is to better understand the country itself, its people, and the way they think and live.
At the heart of this book is not heroism or rank, but responsibility — responsibility for another being. For the one who walks beside you and depends on you completely. This responsibility does not end when an order is fulfilled; it begins precisely where the formal duty is considered complete.
Service constantly confronts a person with questions that have no easy answers:
Service constantly confronts a person with questions that have no easy answers:
- Where does the line of what is acceptable truly lie?
- At what point does caution turn into cruelty?
- Is it possible to remain human in a system that demands toughness and flawless decisions?
This is not a book about heroism, and it is not a political statement. It is an attempt to honestly portray the moral tension in which a soldier lives — and the price of security that any state is often forced to pay.
Excerpts from the Book
“…There is a place on the Mitkan Adam base that is sacred to every soldier.
On a quiet, picturesque clearing, surrounded by trees on all sides, lies the cemetery of service dogs.
They say about military dog handlers: a fighter on two legs and a fighter on four — a synchronized pair, sharing hardship, danger, and sometimes even glory.
That is why I speak of the soldier and his dog as a single whole.
Oketz is constantly engaged in counterterrorism operations. Both handlers and their dogs are killed — often while saving other lives.
And we all know: the death of a dog means that at least one soldier’s life was saved.
The cemetery of service dogs…
Rows of graves with headstones bearing names and dates. Everything is like with people.
Here lie the legendary Tommy and Steve, with identical inscriptions: “Killed in action.”…. “
On a quiet, picturesque clearing, surrounded by trees on all sides, lies the cemetery of service dogs.
They say about military dog handlers: a fighter on two legs and a fighter on four — a synchronized pair, sharing hardship, danger, and sometimes even glory.
That is why I speak of the soldier and his dog as a single whole.
Oketz is constantly engaged in counterterrorism operations. Both handlers and their dogs are killed — often while saving other lives.
And we all know: the death of a dog means that at least one soldier’s life was saved.
The cemetery of service dogs…
Rows of graves with headstones bearing names and dates. Everything is like with people.
Here lie the legendary Tommy and Steve, with identical inscriptions: “Killed in action.”…. “
“…One day, Sergeant Oded called me over and, smiling, said:
— Do you see that tree over there? — he pointed to a tree about forty meters away.
— Yes, — I replied, already guessing what was coming.
— It wants to tell you something. You have seventeen seconds to run to it, find out what it wants to say, and report back to me, — Oded joked.*
When I returned, I reported cheerfully:
— Oded, you’re mistaken. The tree said it wanted to talk to you.
Everyone burst out laughing. Mischief sparkled in the sergeant’s eyes. He sprinted toward the tree, pretended to listen, then ran back.
— You’re right. The tree wanted to tell me that as a punishment, you’ll be staying on base this Sabbath…”
— Do you see that tree over there? — he pointed to a tree about forty meters away.
— Yes, — I replied, already guessing what was coming.
— It wants to tell you something. You have seventeen seconds to run to it, find out what it wants to say, and report back to me, — Oded joked.*
When I returned, I reported cheerfully:
— Oded, you’re mistaken. The tree said it wanted to talk to you.
Everyone burst out laughing. Mischief sparkled in the sergeant’s eyes. He sprinted toward the tree, pretended to listen, then ran back.
— You’re right. The tree wanted to tell me that as a punishment, you’ll be staying on base this Sabbath…”
“…I am not prepared to accept that, sixty-five years after my great-grandmother and great-grandfather were tortured to death in the camps, my dog would bite innocent people.
I cannot allow a dog I have sent to harm people who are fleeing genocide.
And I am ready to ask the command to remove me from deployments on the Egyptian border.
And everyone who was sitting in the conference hall at that moment agreed with him…”
I cannot allow a dog I have sent to harm people who are fleeing genocide.
And I am ready to ask the command to remove me from deployments on the Egyptian border.
And everyone who was sitting in the conference hall at that moment agreed with him…”
About the Author
Ivan Goncharenko (Menahem-Mendl) immigrated to Israel as a teenager. After finishing school, he served as a commander in the elite canine unit Oketz of the Israel Defense Forces.
He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and holds a PhD in Middle Eastern studies. Ivan also earned a degree in International law from the Sorbonne University in UAE. As part of his academic and analytical work, he completed an internship at the United Nations in New York.
By profession, Ivan is a lawyer working at the intersection of law, analytics, and international projects across Israel, the Middle East, and Europe.
He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and holds a PhD in Middle Eastern studies. Ivan also earned a degree in International law from the Sorbonne University in UAE. As part of his academic and analytical work, he completed an internship at the United Nations in New York.
By profession, Ivan is a lawyer working at the intersection of law, analytics, and international projects across Israel, the Middle East, and Europe.
About the Author
Ivan Goncharenko (Menahem-Mendl) immigrated to Israel as a teenager. After finishing school, he served as a commander in the elite canine unit Oketz of the Israel Defense Forces.
He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and holds a PhD in Middle Eastern studies. Ivan also earned a degree in International law from the Sorbonne University in UAE. As part of his academic and analytical work, he completed an internship at the United Nations in New York.
By profession, Ivan is a lawyer working at the intersection of law, analytics, and international projects across Israel, the Middle East, and Europe.
He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and holds a PhD in Middle Eastern studies. Ivan also earned a degree in International law from the Sorbonne University in UAE. As part of his academic and analytical work, he completed an internship at the United Nations in New York.
By profession, Ivan is a lawyer working at the intersection of law, analytics, and international projects across Israel, the Middle East, and Europe.
