How Kesem, the Magic German Shepherd, Found His Forever Home.
Thom had always dreamed of having a pet – whether a dog, cat, or even a snake – but as a family, we kept saying “no.”
We told ourselves that our frequent travels would make it unfair to the animal, but the truth was that we weren’t exactly “pet people.”
I had pets in my early twenties, and Vered had a cat during her university days, but neither of us ever felt a deep connection to animals.
We were especially NOT dog people.
Everything changed on January 12, 2022.
It was an ordinary Wednesday morning when Vered headed out for her usual walk, only to find a big German Shepherd sitting right on our doorstep.
This dog wasn’t just any stray; he was well-groomed, affectionate, and seemed to have made up his mind.
Vered, and our house, were his.
We were at a loss.
Clearly, this dog had once belonged to someone, though a nagging suspicion lingered that he had been abandoned nearby.
He had no collar, and when we contacted the police, they confirmed he didn’t have a microchip either.
We were left with two options: take him to a shelter or wait six weeks and if no one claimed him, adopt him.
We spread the word around the village, posted his photo on social media, and waited.
But by the second day, Vered had fallen in love.
Despite my initial resistance, it was obvious that I had already lost this “war.”
We agreed to take him to the vet, wait the six weeks, and if no one came forward, he would officially become part of our family – Vered’s responsibility, of course.
I tried to keep my distance, emotionally at least, but this dog melted my heart within days.
It was as if it was meant to be.
We named him Kesem, meaning “magic” in Hebrew, because his arrival felt nothing short of magical – his sudden appearance out of nowhere, his wonderful personality, and his immediate bond with Vered and our home.
The vet estimated that Kesem was about a year old when he found us.
And while his presence certainly transformed our lives, it wasn’t without challenges.
Kesem was big, strong, and stubborn.
Training him to stop jumping on us took forever.
He had a deep-seated fear of cars – likely as a result of the trauma from being abandoned – and refused to go near them.
He also had a habit of wandering off and joining any group of people he encountered, leading to daily phone calls from folks who had met him miles away from home.
But over time, Kesem mellowed out.
He stopped jumping, grew more comfortable in cars (eventually loving car rides), and his solo adventures around the neighborhood became less frequent.
Now, in August 2024, Kesem the cat hunter is getting used to our two new kittens, Harry and Sally.
Although they’re not best friends yet, we’re confident that soon they’ll be playing and cuddling together.
Kesem may have found us by chance, but he’s changed us in more ways than we ever could have imagined.
We’re no longer just “not pet people” – we’re Kesem’s people.
