By Geraldine Downer
Mexico City - For a country still in
mourning and counting its dead from Tuesday's devastating
earthquake, Frida the Navy rescue dog has emerged as a source of
inspiration and pride in the search for survivors.
Known for her custom-made doggy goggles and boots, the
7-year-old yellow Labrador has become a social media star,
appearing on one man's tattoo and the unofficial image of a
500-peso note. Some posts have wildly exaggerated her feats.
In her career, Frida has located 12 people alive beneath the
rubble plus more than 40 others dead, more than any other
Mexican rescue dog, the Navy said. She has put her nose to work
in disasters such as an earthquake in Ecuador last year, another
one in southern Mexico two weeks ago, a landslide in Guatemala
in 2015 and a Mexico City gas explosion in 2013.
Her credits for the most recent disaster has not been
tallied yet, said Navy Captain Armando Segura, because she is
still busy trying to save lives. The 7.1-magnitude quake has
killed nearly 300 people, and rescuers were still digging
through some of the 52 buildings that collapsed in Mexico City
alone.
7-year-old Frida is helping find victims of Mexico's earthquakes. pic.twitter.com/UJwDLLSBti
— AJ+ (@ajplus) September 23, 2017
Frida the dog is the hero of the week, helping to save over FIFTY people while working to find survivors after the earthquake in Mexico. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/K0nILzlpoj
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) September 23, 2017
Frida has spent most of her efforts at a school in southern
Mexico City where 19 school children and six adults died, but 11
more children were rescued.
As one of the of the country's most trusted institutions,
the Mexican Navy has a wider role than most armadas, including a
canine unit that has two other dogs, a pair of 18-month-old
Belgian shepherds, Echo and Evil.
Mexico's army also has rescue dogs digging through the
debris of damaged buildings, and a dog named Maya from the
Jalisco state government was credited with finding two dead
bodies on Thursday. The United States and Chile have also
brought rescue dogs for the Mexican quake.
None can match the fame of Frida.
"It's a source of pride to work with Frida. She's a very,
very special dog," said Israel Arauz, her handler for the past
two years.
Frida only has about a year left as a life-scent dog before
her olfactory senses are expected to decline, after which she
will retire to live with Arauz.