Rescuers gave a rescue dog killed when searching for survivors of Turkey’s earthquakes a ceremonial sendoff. ‘Proteo’ was a rescue dog working with the Mexican Red Cross in searching for survivors after the Turkey and Syrian earthquakes. He died after helping to find two survivors. The cause of death has not been reported. Rescuers from the charity honoured his passing in a ceremonial sendoff which you can see in the video below.
This tweet accompanied the video:
Hoy despedimos con honores a un gran canino, element de la @SEDENAmx que siempre trabajo con valentía y arrojo. Gracias “PROTEO” cuidamos desde un mejor lugar y guía a Nuestros binomios en cada búsqueda. TRANSLATION [EXTRACT]: Today we say goodbye with honors to a great canine….who always worked with courage and courage. Thanks “PROTEO”…..
Proteo was one of 16 rescue dogs sent with rescue teams by the Mexican government to help Turkey find survivors of these devastating earthquakes which, at present, has killed around 35,000 people.
A spokesperson of a Mexican government department, the Secretariat of National defence said:
As members of the Mexican Army and Air Force, we are deeply saddened by the loss of our great comrade, the dog named Proteo. You fulfilled your duty as a part of the Mexican team in the search and rescue efforts we carried out for our brothers in Turkey. Thank you for your heroic work.
British contribution
Separately, The Times newspaper reports on British dogs scouring the rubble for survivors. Britain has sent four British trained sniffer dogs to Turkey for the same purpose. They have spent almost a week searching for earthquake survivors and are part of the UK International Search and Rescue team.
There must always be a very real possibility of injury to the dogs particular their paws as they have to scamper over a lot of sharp and dangerous surfaces. Colin, a collie from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue severely injured his hind paw on the first day of his deployment.
It is his first job abroad with the team. According to his handler, Neil Woodmansey, he suffered a “really nasty cut down to the tendon”. He was stitched up by the vets who were flown out with the team and is now back in action.
Another member of the canine team is Sid a black Labrador from Lancashire. He was seen running up and down rooftops while following instructions from his handler. Other fellow canines are Vesper, a black Belgian Malinois, and Davey, a springer spaniel from Lancashire. He, too, had his paw bandaged over the weekend.
The dogs’ training is funded by the British government. They are equipped with specially made personal protective equipment including boots for their paws, harnesses and protective hats.
Their handlers say that the dogs do this precarious work as a game and “their reward is a ball – that’s part of their training”.
I guess some people might think that they do it knowing that they are saving lives and that there is an underlying moral purpose but apparently “they do it all for a ball”. However, they play a very big part in most of the rescue operations. They are a vitally important part of the UK rescue team.
And, accordingly, they are regarded as part of the team on an equal footing which is exactly why the Mexican rescuers gave their dog such a wonderful sendoff.
Below are some articles on working dogs.
