Dr. Rudolphina Menzel (1891–1973) used these intelligent scavenger-dogs mainly found in the desert as guard dogs. In the 1930s, Menzel was asked by the Haganah to build up a service dog organization. She captured a select group of semi-wild individuals, tamed, trained and bred them. Menzel found the dogs highly adaptable, trainable, and easy to domesticate. It took her about six months to capture her first dog, Dugma, and within a few weeks she was able to take him into town and on buses.