Frida is a seven-year-old Labrador that works for the Mexican Navy and is part of “canine binomial” program. She saved 12 people on the 8.4 earthquake that struck Juchitlán, Oaxaca, on September 7.
Israel Monterde Cervantes, head of Mexico’s City Canine Section and frigate captain, said in an interview that they have 20 canine binomials (meaning a team consisting of a dog and a person) in the city, but there are more than 300 distributed through out Mexico.
Training takes between twelve and fourteen months, from two to four hours every day, depending on the dog’s disposition and temperament to avoid fatigue. They also take into account the zoo-technical functions assigned to each one.
During the devastating earthquake that hit Oaxaca, Frida arrived to the site and got to work right away, looking into and smelling the rubble. She found 40 bodies and rescued 12 survivors.
With special and constant training, Frida now holds the title of Missing Persons Searching Specialist, with experience in Honduras, Ecuador, and Haiti. Because she is the most experienced, she is also teaching her abilities to two other dogs younger than her, so they can take over her work.
Frida began training when she was just two months old, and from the start she stood out for her ability to search of narcotics and explosives, she also excelled at exploring terrain and rescuing people.
Dogs like Frida are trained with a ball, once they make it their favorite toy, their human partner inject it with synthetic reproductions of narcotics or explosives smells to develop their sense of smell, so they learn to identify the items.
On the earthquake, it took Frida just one sniff of the rubble left from Juchitlán’s City Hall to rescue the remains of a man, although she is trained to rescue live persons too.
Monterde also pointed out that “rescue dogs are very curious, intrepid, and dinamic. They are also not afraid to explore all kinds of terrains.” For Frida, not even the heavy rain that hit Oaxaca after the earthquake was an impediment for her to fulfill her duties.
The Mexican Government featured Frida on its Twitter account, and people immediately began showing her lots of love.
Ella es #Frida, pertenece a la @SEMAR_mx y ha ayudado a salvar 52 vidas en distintos desastres naturales a nivel nacional e internacional. pic.twitter.com/iLy87aCRFX
— Presidencia EPN 2012-2018 (@PresidenciaMX) September 13, 2017
Mexico’s Team of Search and Rescue is trained on the techniques and skills necessary to locate, stabilize and extract victims trapped under collpased structures, with procedures proved safe for rescue personnel and victims.
Mexico’s Secretary of Navy and Army confirmed that the rescue team in Chiapas and Oaxaca consisted of 19 elements, one Canine Unit (with three rescue dogs) and a Medical Brigade (with 11 naval health elements).