Wearing her custom-made doggy goggles and protective boots, Frida the rescue dog goes through rubble and destruction to sniff out people in search and rescue missions following disasters. The brave seven-year-old labrador retriever has a career that would put most to shame – she has rescued 12 people, and retrieved more than 40 bodies of people trapped under buildings.
Frida has been furiously at work in the aftermath of the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Mexico, and her efforts have not been tallied yet. She has previously used her nose in disasters such as an earthquake in Ecuador, another earthquake in Mexico a couple of weeks ago, a landslide in Guatemala in 2015, and a Mexico City gas explosion in 2013.
Frida has become a source of inspiration and pride for Mexico, with her story even being shared by the Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s office on Twitter (below).
Frida was also honoured in a parade in Mexico (video below), while others on Twitter suggested that she be put on the 500-peso note.
The people of Mexico have immortalised Frida and her paw-leagues as a piñata.
The Mexican Navy (SEMAR) dog has only a year left as a life-scent dog, before her olfactory senses will begin to decline. But after that, she will retire and live with her handler, with the satisfaction of having saved many lives.
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