Search and rescue dog dies a hero

[Catherine]

Dayko the search and rescue dog worked tirelessly in Ecuador to find people trapped by the earthquake.
Sadly he pushed himself to hard and the heat and exhaustion were too much and he died.
Lives were saved because of his efforts and he will be remembered as the hero he was.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...qNLesKQ1wg

Dayko was a wonderful dog and he gave his life to save others. I am sure those who worked with him are devastated by their loss.  It is not every day that you hear about a true hero.

RIP Dayko. You have earned a good rest.

[Tobi]

Oh dear Dayko! That is tremendous work he has done. And very sad it was too exhausting for him. The search and rescue dogs are apparently very depressed when they don't find someone. They know they have to find someone, and will work and work at it. Now whether that is in response to their training, or whether that is just the way they feel about it....I don't know. But they are very dedicated.
I am sorry he has passed, but blessings for his Soul.

[Catherine]

Quote:The search and rescue dogs are apparently very depressed when they don't find someone. They know they have to find someone, and will work and work at it. Now whether that is in response to their training, or whether that is just the way they feel about it....I don't know. But they are very dedicated.

I think their training is part of it, but the dog must have a desire to help find people in the first place. Only certain dogs are given the training. They have to be right for it.

Dayko wanted to find survivors.  It would have been hard to get him to stop when so many lives were at risk.

He was a brave and dedicated hero and he will be remembered as such.

[Tobi]

Some 'search' dogs will work for a reward -such as a tennis ball thrown for them. I saw an article ablout a Spaniel who was a sniffer dog, and that was the way he operated. He was obsessed with the ball!
But I think for the search and rescue dogs, their main driving-force is to reach a human being who is alive. They do get depressed sometimes, when either they don't find people, or find only dead people.
Who is to know exactly what is going on in their hearts and minds?

[Catherine]

Those dogs know they are searching for people. It is not a game for them.  They push themselves because I think they understand that people can die if you don't find them in time. These are very intelligent dogs.
It is different for cadaver dogs. They only search for dead people so they are happy if that is what they find.

It must be so hard to bring a dog to an earthquake site. Sometimes there are survivors and sometimes there are not.

The dogs searching the World Trade Centre after 9/11 had a hard time. There were no survivors in the rubble.
It takes special dogs and special handlers to do a job like that. I think when they save someone it is worth it for them.

[Tobi]

9/11 was an unprecedented situation regarding search and rescue. I think most of the bodies had been pulverised to dust and were unrecognisable among the rubble. Yet papers survived intact!

The dogs and rescuers working there deserve the deepest respect.

I think there was a small bunch of survivors  (from no.1 collapsed tower?) Maybe a dozen people? Or fewer? I can't recall now. They had got trapped in a stairwell, mainly because they had stopped to help a lady who couldn't go any further. She was not very fit for going down the stairs, and they stayed to help and comfort her. Their compassion saved their lives, and hers, as they were protected by the structure of the stairwell! Of course they did not expect to be saved.
There are so many unsung heroes in this world. Who knows who those people are, now?

[Catherine]

The world is full of unsung heroes. I think that is why we should celebrate those we know. In some way the unsung heroes know who they are and know that we would honour them if we could.

Such a small number survived 9/11 of the thousands who worked in the buildings. So many first responders died trying to save people.
We have enough natural disasters where lives are lost. We do not need anymore human made disasters.