Mexico's rescue team dogs leave for quake-hit Turkey to help with relief efforts: WATCH

Mexico’s “heart” of rescue teams took off for Turkey on Tuesday, just a day after the middle eastern nation was reduced to rubble by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. At least 16 dogs, which Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard called “the heart of our rescue team,” took off for Turkey along with their handlers, CNN reported.

The aircraft also carried a search and rescue team made up of members of the Mexican army, the navy, “five foreign ministry officials and 15 members of the Red Cross,” according to a press release issued by the Mexican government. As per the statement, the team will touch down in Turkey’s Adana, one of the cities affected the most by the earthquake. 

Ebrard also took to Twitter to share a clip of the four-legged crew, which showed Labradors, Belgian Malinois, and Australian Sheepdogs. The video has amassed 475,000 views and more than 1,300 comments. Reacting to it, one user wrote: “I never cease to be amazed at the things dogs can do, great to see this hard working pack and their highly skilled humans heading to Turkey.” “We don’t deserve dogs,” wrote another. A third user said, “So many good dogs going to help.”

Why Mexico relies on its dog squads when calamity hits

Dogs in Mexico became knights in shining armor when the country was rattled by a deadly earthquake six years ago. In 2017, search and rescue dogs massively helped in crucial relief efforts across the country. One of Mexico’s most popular rescue dogs was a Labrador named Frida.

A valuable part of the Navy, she rescued 43 people throughout the course of her 9-year-long service. In 2019 she retired, and she ended up passing away three years later. To pay tribute to the heroic animal, the Navy unveiled a life-size statue of the animal outside its main office in Mexico City.