Calay News
July and Maia, two rescue dogs in Mexico, participated in a disaster response simulation exercise organized by the Mexican Red Cross. During the exercise, July, a seven-year-old black Labrador, barked to locate people in the rubble of a building, while Maia slowly descended a cliff using rappelling gear. Both dogs are part of Mexico’s canine rescue team, which has saved lives in various disasters, including the recent earthquake in Turkey.
During the simulation, July was transported in an ambulance with a bandaged paw and walked through the bushes with two collars, one with a light. She barked after a few minutes, alerting her handlers to the presence of a paramedic and an injured person who needed assistance. Meanwhile, Maia walked among rocks and grass before stopping at a cliff to allow her handlers to attach her rappelling gear.
The simulation involved 18 dogs, ten of which are accredited by the US organization Urban Search and Rescue (USR) to provide aid anywhere in the world. July, who has extensive experience in natural disasters in Mexico, found six bodies after the February 6th earthquake in southeastern Turkey that killed over 50,000 people. It was her first international rescue mission.
Anneth Lopez, a 35-year-old rescuer who has lived and worked with July since she was a puppy, said that July’s work in Turkey “eased the human suffering of people waiting for their deceased family members.” Lopez, who is proud of July’s work, said, “We can’t be without each other.”
Alberto Pena, a 36-year-old veterinarian, said that speaking the same language in rescue situations is critical and that everyone should know how to handle the rescue dogs. The rescue dogs have a heroic predecessor in Frida, a honey-colored Labrador who became a symbol of hope during the earthquakes that struck Mexico in 2017. Frida helped rescue 12 people alive and 12 dead during her first mission, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and located the bodies of 20 people in a landslide in Ecuador in 2017. The Mexican Armed Forces honored both Frida and Proteo, a German Shepherd who died during a collapse, for their heroic service.
