A dog’s life in the IDF
GROWING up, he did not have a dog as a pet, but as a young adult, dogs became Nachmi Feinblatt's life.
GROWING up, he did not have a dog as a pet, but as a young adult, dogs became his life.
Nachmi Feinblatt (pictured) is preparing for his first trip to Australia later this month. He is visiting as a guest of the Friends of Beit Halochem and the Zionist Disabled Veterans Organisation, and will share his experience as a dog trainer in the IDF.
Beit Halochem centres in Israel provide therapy and activities for Israeli veterans with disabilities, and Feinblatt ended up spending time with the organisation after serving on a bomb clearing mission in Lebanon 14 years ago.
He and his canine companion, Linda, worked together helping identify and clear hidden explosives to ensure safe passage for IDF troops after a friend recommended he might like the work. It was rewarding but dangerous.
“During an operation, whose target was to identify concealed mines and bombs in southern Lebanon back in 1997, I led a group of soldiers in order to ‘open’ the road – make sure it is clear of explosives,” he explained to The AJN.
“The terrorists saw me approaching a well-hidden explosive device that they placed a night earlier, and detonated the bomb using a remote control. They saw the dog, which is trained to detect explosives, and they were afraid the dog might find the device.”
Feinblatt and Linda were both seriously wounded, but their bravery saved the lives of the rest of his unit.
For the now-lawyer, the road to recovery was long. He underwent emergency surgery in a field hospital because doctors felt he may not make it to Haifa. His injuries ranged from blood in his lungs to shrapnel wounds, and he later used Beit Halochem for exercise and hydrotherapy during his recovery.
Despite his injuries, Feinblatt said he learnt a lot during his time in the Oketz unit, including how to understand a dog’s behaviour.
“Knowing how to work in cooperation with a dog is not a simple task at all, this task prepares you for real life, which demands cooperation with human beings where communication is much easier,” he explained. “I learnt how to train dogs and dog psychology, and most important, I felt that I was saving human lives.”
He is now looking forward to telling his story in Australia, and catching some waves.
“I have never been to Australia before, but as a teenager who loved wind surfing, I heard there are great conditions for wind surfing and sailing in Australia.”
Friends of Beit Halochem is hosting a dinner with Nachmi Feinblatt on Thursday, February 24, 7pm, Crown Casino. Enquiries: John 0413 201 559; Nellie 0413 716 125.
Zionist Disabled Veterans Organisation is hosting a movie screening attended by Nachmi Feinblatt on Sunday, February 20 at Fox Studios. Enquiries: www.zdvo.com; 0416 179 622.
NAOMI LEVIN
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