Rachel Dancyg had lost hope of ever seeing her dog Billie again after it went missing during the Hamas attack on her Kibbutz, Nir Oz, in southern Israel, on October 7, 2023. Amid the chaos and violence of that day, Billie vanished as Dancyg and her family sought shelter, and despite a thorough search, the dog was never found.
In the aftermath, Dancyg suffered further loss, with her ex-husband and brother being kidnapped and later killed in the attack. The following months were filled with grief, and the war that followed claimed thousands of lives, including over 1,200 Israelis. Dancyg had assumed Billie had perished, as the dog was nowhere to be found, and she relocated to northern Israel.
However, on April 15, 2025, Dancyg received an unexpected call that would bring a rare moment of relief. An Israeli soldier had found Billie in Gaza, 18 months after the attack. The dog had been discovered in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, about 15 kilometers from the kibbutz, and was found in a state of distress. The soldier, Aviad Shapira, had approached Billie and greeted her with “shalom,” to which she responded eagerly, possibly recognizing the Hebrew language. After ensuring her safety, he had her microchipped, which led to the discovery of her family’s contact details.
Billie’s return was nothing short of a miracle for Dancyg, who, upon being reunited with her now 3.5-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, expressed her disbelief: “It doesn’t make sense … People didn’t survive. How did she?” Though Billie was disoriented and had lost weight, she seemed content to be back with her family.
Dancyg’s story was widely covered in Israeli media, but the community of Nir Oz reminded the public that, while the reunion was a rare moment of joy, the family’s grief and the suffering of many others in the region continue. The kibbutz referred to the reunion as “a little light in a lot of sorrow.”
This heartwarming tale of survival has been a small yet poignant moment of hope in the ongoing conflict, reminding people of the unexpected connections that can emerge in even the darkest of times.