Searching For The Lost Dogs After The Beirut Explosion
The consecutive and devastating explosions in Beirut in early August left some 300,000 people homeless in the blink of an eye. Many families have lost loved ones, but this catastrophe has not only affected people, it has also affected their pets. Today we are going to discover the incredible story of Leia and her dogs lost in the Beirut explosion.
After the disaster and the first few minutes of confusion, all the neighbors tried to help each other out. Amidst a chaos of broken glass, blood, smoke and despair, the community gathered to take refuge from what they at first thought could be another war like in 2006.
At no time did anyone think about abandoning their pets, but like humans, they too were scared and disoriented. Discover with us this story of effort and overcoming, which shows that the love of a tutor for his dog knows no barriers.
Moments after the explosion and Leia’s first thoughts
Nobody imagined what was stored in the port of Beirut. According to the Lebanese government, the cause of the explosions was 2750 tons of ammonium nitrite. This compost is often used as a fertilizer, but also to create bombs.
The arsenal was seized from a Russian ship in 2014 and stored in Beirut harbor. Although customs officials tried to remove the nitrate from there and donate it to the Lebanese army, they never got the necessary permission. Unfortunately, some welding work in the adjacent warehouse started a fire that culminated in the terrible explosion.
The result was 135 victims killed at the scene, 5000 missing and 300 000 people left homeless. This last group includes the story of Leia and her dogs lost in the Beirut explosion.
According to Leia, a white light threw her into a corner of her room, while all she could see were broken glass and splintered wood. Her first thought when she came to, despite the ringing in her ears, was her family.
Not in her biological family that was safe and far from Beirut, but in her adoptive family. The first thing Leia thought of was her furry friends she’d adopted over the years.
Someone came to what was once the front door of his house and told him that his dogs were fine. So she picked up her roommate Lizzie and the two of them headed toward the exit through a sea of dangerous jagged wreckage.
Where are the lost dogs in the Beirut explosion?
Afraid of another explosion and vivid memory of the 2006 Lebanon war, Leia and her neighbors took refuge under a ladder. To her surprise, there was Fred, the oldest dog. But the puppy Bunduq, who had come to Leia when his family abandoned him for fear of COVID-19, was not there.
For the next few days, Fred did not leave his tutor. He defended the ruins of what had been his home while they waited in hope that Bunduq would find his way back.
For Leia, her foster dogs are the sense of stability in her life. They are part of your home, they are your chosen family. As she says: “I didn’t choose my pet, he chose me”.
Social movement to find lost dogs
Like Fred and Bunduq, many dogs were lost after the Beirut explosions. In a WhatsApp group , called “ mommy dog”, in which Leia participated, and through social networks, all the dogs were found little by little.
Unfortunately, Leia was unable to go in search of Bunduq, as her feet had been bruised from the cuts and she had to stay in the hospital for several days. However, she did not stop publishing news about her dog’s disappearance and prayed that he would know how to find his way home.
Meanwhile, his friends kept walking the streets in search of Bunduq, hanging posters and asking neighbors. In addition, a local charity that helps stray animals also tried to help. Unfortunately, there was no sign of him.
Finally, a sign about Bunduq
Days passed and Leia began to lose hope. His missing dog could have been run over by a car or suffered terrible injuries in the blast, which prevented him from returning home.
However, one day, while Leia was blogging about sniffer dogs looking for people in the rubble, her cell phone screen lit up and flashed a message: “ Have you lost a dog? I think I have him.”
The person who contacted had found Bunduq in Beirut after the explosion and had taken him to Tripoli, more than 30 miles away. His rescuer had lost everything in the explosions and had to move. Despite that, he didn’t want to leave a poor puppy scared and abandoned, so he didn’t think twice and put him in his car.
Another problem: how to get there?
Leia did not have a car to get around and also had to undergo several surgeries to heal all the severed tendons in her feet. To his surprise, an association called “Lebanon Animal Lovers” developed a plan to bring Bunduq back. That’s how, at two o’clock in the morning of the same day, the puppy returned to Leia’s lap.
Stories like this, in which a network of people work together for others, helping to bring a lost animal back into its family’s arms, restore hope to the human species.
In any case, let us not forget that Beirut is still destroyed. Many people have moved to the mountains or other cities to start over. The health network is still not 100% after the end of the war and, despite everything, the residents continue to help each other.
