Israelis were outraged on Monday after it emerged that a dog pictured being rescued by police from a large forest fire near Jerusalem was ultimately ditched and later found dead from apparent burns.
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The Israel Police posted a picture of two police officers rescuing the large dog, named Alice, on Sunday from a fire near Jerusalem. Their actions drew widespread applause, but on Monday morning it transpired that the dog was not taken care of by the authorities and had gone missing. Alice was later found dead, having apparently died from the fire.
Noy Serlin, a relative of Alice's owners, took to Facebook on Monday to express the family's grievances.
"The pictures of the police officers holding Alice are beautiful, but this case was mishandled. While I have a great deal of appreciation for what they did and the great lengths to which they tried to save her, it's too bad Alice was not sent to a shelter and was allowed to die. Her charred remains were found after a night of searching amid conflicting reports from the law-enforcement authorities about her whereabouts. She was burned to death less than 100 feet from where she was rescued."
The Israel Police later issued a statement explaining its version of events. "After the officers found a dog that was in danger, they decided to place her next to the entrance of a nearby community, where many local residents were present," the statement read. "They then immediately proceeded to go from door to door in order to make sure there were no human beings or animals that could be in harm's way. Thanks to their efforts, no one died in the fire; any attempt to find faults in their conduct while responding to this emergency is wrong and misleading," it continued.
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