After being lost for 40 days following the terror attack on Israel, the dog now provides comfort to hostage family members.

A dog who disappeared for 40 days following the October 7, 2023 terror attacks against Israel is now offering comfort to many individuals in a surprising twist of fate.

Rebecca Geller, a British-Israeli woman residing in Tel Aviv, Israel, disclosed to Planet Chronicle Digital that she experienced a panic attack on October 7, 2023, at 4:40 a.m., following a nightmare about her "angelic" five-year-old rescue dog, Stevie.

Geller was in London, visiting friends and family. In her dream, Stevie was bitten by a scorpion and was "in the desert, dying alone."

The night before, she had a terrible dream that her dog had drowned.

Geller immediately texted her friend, Dana Avesar, who was taking care of Stevie with her boyfriend at his caravan in Talmei Yosef, a southern village in Israel, to check if her dog was okay. At the same time, she received a message from another friend stating, "Israel is under attack. You should postpone your flight home."

Geller had been scheduled to fly back to Israel the next day.

An hour later, her friend texted her about the sirens and loud booms, and that Stevie was missing.

"I realized they were in huge danger."

Avisar stated that she heard rumors about a group of dogs exiting the village together. She and her boyfriend searched for Stevie multiple times, but now it was too risky.

"Geller remembered telling Planet Chronicle Digital, "I was unsure of what to do, so I tried to remain calm and avoid driving my companions insane, as I realized they were in grave danger.""

She learned that everyone she knew from southern Israel was okay after messaging them.

Every day, she shared photos and videos of Stevie on social media, highlighting his distinctive mohawk, which she referred to as his "lucky tuft."

Geller realized she needed to search for Stevie herself after her friend offered to look for him. She then informed her mother in London that she was sorry but had to go.

Geller said that despite her mother's pleading, "of course I didn't listen."

‘It was scary’

Geller journeyed to southern Israel with her cousin and a volunteer from Paw Aid, an Israeli organization that saves pets from war zones and natural disasters, on Oct. 31, 2023.

More than 1,000 dogs went missing after Oct. 7 — and roughly 700 of them have been found by rescue organizations.

She stated that you required military clearance and needed to carry a weapon.

They planned their route based on where dogs had been seen and secured access to enter the guarded villages and kibbutzim.

Geller left some of her laundry near where Stevie had been staying so that he could pick up her scent.

Geller also drove around the area alone.

She stated that she had hundreds of posters in plastic sleeves and distributed them on gas stations, supermarkets, and other locations with intersections and traffic lights, including giving them to soldiers.

The atmosphere was eerie during winter when the days were short and driving at night was terrifying.

She assured me she steered clear of Route 232, a Negev desert highway infamous as a "blood-and-fire-stained hellscape" according to The Times of Israel.

Geller said that Dogs & Heroes helped her connect with Yoram Erez, the founder of PTROA, a nonprofit that uses military technology to locate and rescue animals.

On Oct. 7, packs of wild dogs entered the kibbutzim in southern Israel from Gaza through the fence, fighting with domestic dogs and killing farm animals, according to Erez, who spoke to Planet Chronicle Digital.

Over 1,000 dogs went missing after Oct. 7, with approximately 700 of them being found by rescue organizations.

‘Absolute mission to find them'

On November 14, 2023, Geller accompanied Erez to the south. She stated that Erez was able to obtain military clearance to fly drones over each kibbutz and the village of Talmei Yosef, where Stevie had been staying.

Geller stated that it was his utmost priority to locate all the animals.

Erez was fed by Geller at the Nir Oz and Kissufim kibbutzim, which were evacuated after the Hamas massacres. While some homes were decimated, others remained untouched.

As she walked past a house with a homemade mosaic path, she noticed the next house was a burned-out shell.

Geller recalled how painful it was to be there.

"The sight of the beautiful homes left me feeling shaken and saddened. The gardens were incredible, and the children's sculptures made from used plastic bottles spinning in the wind added to the beauty. Every detail was filled with love."

"I used to come home and scream."

The residents of that place were characterized as "down-to-earth … uncomplicated and tranquil."

Geller stated that she was devastated by the experience of not finding her dog Stevie and would often come home and scream in frustration.

A soldier in the south contacted Geller two days later, claiming to have seen Stevie due to his mohawk.

‘Don’t let him go anywhere'

Geller stated that many people had been calling her by then, thinking they'd seen Stevie when it wasn't him, so she wasn't excited.

Geller was taken aback when the soldier showed her a picture.

""Please keep Stevie where he is and don't let him go anywhere," she exclaimed."

Erez quickly drove to Tel Aviv after receiving a call from Geller that Stevie had been found, even though it was already dark.

He saw "a skinny dog, very terrified, very confused."

Erez arrived at the Egyptian border two hours later and described seeing a "skinny dog" that was "very terrified" and "very confused."

When Geller was put on speaker, Stevie started crying and made a squeaky voice, like a puppy.

Stevie was "very lucky" to have been found after being missing for 40 days, as Erez said it usually takes two weeks to locate a dog.

Geller and her three girlfriends, along with their dogs, including Stevie's twin brother, Billy, who belongs to Geller's friend and had been keeping Geller company while Stevie was missing, waited for Stevie's arrival in Tel Aviv.

Geller stated that it was really helpful for his brother to be with him, as he loves him.

Geller was nervous about her dinner preparations, as she hadn't smiled in 40 days and was trying to feed everyone. She stayed on the phone with her mother, who was also excited about the dinner.

He hopped up on his hind legs to latch onto her.

In Tel Aviv, finding a man is more challenging than finding a sand-colored dog in the desert.

A video that gained popularity showed Stevie happily wagging his tail and excitedly jumping onto Geller when he saw her. She cried with joy as she embraced him. (Watch the video at the top of this article.)

"I was ecstatic ... He was fine and recognized me!"

Geller placed Stevie's new bed on top of her own in London that night. "I couldn't stop touching him every 10 minutes," she admitted.

"Every time I looked at him, he was gazing back at me in amazement."

‘Needed to do something for these people’

Geller pondered on the anguish and distress the hostage's relatives must have endured while she searched for Stevie, and how they continue to feel it now.

"While searching for Stevie, I am aware of the hostages and feel foolish for putting so much effort into finding a dog. However, Stevie is my family, and I knew I had to act."

She stated, "Although I rarely share this with them, I truly feel connected to them. I don't want them to believe that I'm trivializing their pain, which has lasted for eight months."

She began volunteering at The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Gaza in December 2023 and now works on the foreign media team.

Geller takes Stevie to the Forum's Tel Aviv office daily, and hundreds of hostage relatives and released hostages have formed a bond with him.

""He gives them comfort with his calm demeanor and sensitivity," she said."

"You can see that he has such a good heart."

Aviva Siegel, 63, a grandmother who was held hostage for 51 days, forwarded a text about Stevie to Planet Chronicle Digital. She is still waiting for her husband, Keith, to be released from Gaza.

The dog is special and has a good heart, as she said.

Stevie was also expressed happiness by Itzik Horn, father of hostages Yair and Eitan Horn, via a text message.

Udi Green, cousin of murdered hostage Tal Haimi, whose wife recently gave birth to their fourth son, stated that being with Stevie was a "little escape" and "even better than having the mental health department of the Forum." (The individual shown in the second half of the video at the top of this article is Udi Green.)

Stevie was seen in a picture with Yakov Argamani, whose daughter Noa, 26, was rescued by the IDF in Rafah earlier this month.