Search-and-rescue dogs from all over the world arrived in Turkey to aid in recovery efforts after this month’s devastating earthquake brought mass destruction.
On Feb. 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, causing more than 41,000 deaths and utter destruction. Multiple countries sent search-and-rescue teams to help locate survivors and bodies—and these teams aren’t just made up of humans. They also include courageous search-and-rescue dogs.
One such team came from Portugal, and it made a miraculous discovery Tuesday thanks to one of its canines and a dog toy.
According to the Portugal Resident, a member of the rescue team gave a toy to 7-year-old Kejsi, a veteran search-and-rescue dog, as they were on their way to recover a body. After being handed the toy, the pup let out a bark. The team heard a different dog bark back.
The newspaper reports that the team was able to find the golden retriever-looking dog trapped in the basement of a collapsed home. After drilling a hole into the basement wall, the dog was eventually able to make his way out to huge cheers after being stuck inside for 200 hours. Even better? After around an hour after the rescue, the pup’s owner showed up at the property, the paper reported.
“Saving a dog is incredible, even more so for us, as dogs are our co-workers,” rescue team coordinator André Rosa told the Resident.
According to the Search and Rescue Dogs Of the United States, search-and-rescue teams are made up of dogs and handlers who often search for missing people, human remains, and criminal evidence. They’re often deployed to areas in the aftermath of natural disasters where they try to find people who’ve gone missing in the rubble.
A team of rescue pups from the United States also joined the international response.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue Team arrived in Turkey shortly after the earthquake hit, according to KABC. The search and rescue team includes six pups who have an inspiring story.
They’re part of the Search Dog Foundation (SDF). SDF takes in rescue dogs who may not make good family pets—those with high energy levels, for instance—and instead train them to use all that energy to become search-and-rescue dogs, KABC reports. According to its website, the organization currently has 78 trained “canine disaster search teams” across the U.S.
Our southern neighbors jumped in to help, too.
On Feb. 7, Mexico dispatched a search-and-rescue team that included at least 16 dogs, according to CNN. This disaster was unfortunately familiar for the team of humans and pups, as Mexico City experienced its own destructive earthquake back in 2017. Various dog breeds make up Mexico’s search-and-rescue canine team, including two border collies named Orly and Balam, People reports.
Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs, uploaded a Facebook post Wednesday, praising the heroic pups for their work in Turkey and announcing their return home.
