Dogs are truly a man’s best friend. They cheer us up, they keep us company and they are always happy to see us, even if they just saw us a minute ago. And now, they are our heroes.
Last week a 7.1 earthquake shook the center of the country. Buildings were destroyed, people lost their homes, their families, some even lost their lives. A lot has been said about the solidarity of the people of Mexico and how everyone came together to help. Whether it was helping out in a relief center, donating money or helping the rescue workers in some way or another. But there are some heroes that we haven’t truly mentioned just yet, the heroes of the canine variety.
Humans aren’t the only ones risking their lives in order to save people during the earthquake’s aftermath. The canine companions are from different organizations like the Army, Topos and the Navy, among others. Most of them wear booties to help protect their feet (and you can definitely help these canine saviors by donating these booties to earthquake relief centers) and goggles to help protect their eyes.
So here is a little about our four-legged heroes:
Frida: A seven year old white labrador has become the face of rescue dogs, and a vision of hope. She’s a part of the canine devision of Mexico’s Navy and she’s the head of her team of rescue dogs. She’s saved 52 people and there are even people asking for there to be a statue in her likeness in order to honor rescue dogs.
Frida wears protective goggles in order to protect her eyes along with booties to protect her feet. She also wears a harness to make it easier for her to get down and back up again.
Frida has now become an international icon with fan art and piñatas created in her honor. Not to mention people like Captain America himself, Chris Evans, and superstar Alejandro Sanz posting about her (and the rest of the rescue dogs) on various social media sites.
La piñata que no vas a querer romper NUNCA. 💖 #Frida pic.twitter.com/AnaR5W3Ahp
— BuzzFeed México (@BuzzFeedMexico) September 24, 2017
What did we do to deserve dogs? https://t.co/JbVPd3eeZ1
— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) September 23, 2017
(This is the original #FRIDA .. who has saved more than 50 lives in different catastrophes and accidents and who has become a symbol of the solidarity and the effort of our four-legged rescuers. The canine heroes who have worked tirelessly alongside the humans in Mexico’s terrible earthquake.. I stand and applaud you .. brave #FRIDA)
Evil: A Malinois/Belgian Shepherd dog who is barely one and a half years old. He is a part of Frida’s team and has participated in multiple rescues in Oaxaca and now Mexico City. Like Frida, he’s trained to find narcotics, explosives and people in disaster areas.
Ecko: A Belgian Shepherd who belongs in the same team as Frida and Evil.
Titán: A brown labrador who belongs to Silao’s firefighters and has found 26 people alive in the debris of fallen buildings in Mexico City.
These aren’t the only ones helping out in the rescue efforts though; there’s also Pánuco, Evil, Chichí, Lucas, Yona, Bongo and Gitano, among others.
These canine companions have helped rescue so many people and given hope to so many more. They are the unexpected heroes of this horrible tragedy.
