Mexican Hero Dog Proteo Dies Searching for Earthquake Victims

Within hours after two huge earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks rocked southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria on February 6, rescue teams from around the world began to arrive in the disaster zone. Many first responders have worked nonstop since because that’s what good dogs do.

This week Al Jazeera reports on the tireless rescue dogs that have flown in from El Salvador, Germany, Mexico, Qatar, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the US. The dogs are trained to sniff out a human scent, then stand at the spot and bark loudly. A second dog is put on the scent to confirm the findings. Then humans come in to rescue the source of the scent.

“I think it’s one of the most emotional moments of my life … the moment when one of our dogs signals to us that he found some people in the rubble,” says Matthias Gerber of the Swiss K9 unit REDOG. The total number of canine rescues hasn’t been counted yet, but REDOG alone – ten humans and six dogs – saved 39 people trapped in the rubble in the first week.

The REDOG pooches are labradors, German shepherds, Belgian shepherds, border collies, and golden retrievers. The veteran rescuers among them have seven years experience working in disaster areas, in Japan, Nepal, and Albania. But the dogs had not seen destruction on this scale, where more than 41,000 people have perished in the quakes and aftershocks.

Rescue work is dangerous. Earlier this week a German shepherd named Proteo was crushed to death in the line of duty when a building collapsed on him. He was honored as a hero by the Mexican defense ministry: “We deeply regret the loss of our great companion, the dog: Proteo. You fulfilled your mission as a member of the Mexican delegation in the search and rescue of our brothers in Turkey. Thank you for your heroic work.”

Thanks to all the K9 units risking life and paw in the disaster zone. Good dogs, every one of them.

Photo credit: Mexican Foreign Ministry / AFP