In 2006, Houssein Hamze was saved from a bomb by his dog's barking. Twenty years and two wars later, the 57-year-old is still repaying that debt by running the Mashala shelter in Zefta, south Lebanon, caring for strays in peacetime and being the only lifeline for animals during conflict. During the 2026 Hezbollah-Israel war that displaced a quarter of Lebanon's population, Hamze stayed behind, making daily rounds in his beat-up truck to feed abandoned dogs and livestock, despite constant drone and airstrike threats. He stuck a shelter sign on his roof so drones could identify him - though that was no guarantee, as drones regularly struck medics and civilians. He wasn't afraid for himself, only for the animals. He made contingency plans, sending eight donkeys to a Beirut shelter because they couldn't survive on their own. Since a June ceasefire, life has normalized, but donations are drying up as war headlines fade. Hamze still gets 500 messages a day about animal rescues. He hopes one day the shelter won't be needed, concluding: "If you don't have compassion for animals, you won't have compassion for human beings."