Meet Frida, the Hero Pooch Who Rescued People From Mexican Earthquake Rubble

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City to its core on Sept. 19, and one dog is being hailed as a hero for saving the lives of over 52 people trapped beneath the rubble. Her name is Frida and she works with Plan Marina, a division of the Secretaría de Marina (SEMAR).

The Mexican Navy is currently working tirelessly to assist the civilian population in areas of disaster or emergency.

The earthquake comes less than two weeks after an 8.1 quake on the Richter scale struck Oaxaca. It lasted more than a minute, creating a violent up-and-down movement that made it impossible to stand. That devastation left almost 100 dead and much of the region in ruins.

To date, the earthquakes have killed over 230 people and injured thousands. A large-scale rescue operation is currently underway to locate those trapped beneath the rubble. Frida, the Labrador Retriever, is doing what she has been trained to do – retrieve and rescue the survivors. Equipped with her own personal protective equipment, including customized booties and goggles, she isn’t afraid to get her paws dirty.

She has become a local canine hero. Even the office of Mexico’s president took to Twitter to commend her dedication. The tweet, translated to English, read: “She is #Frida , she belongs to the @SEMAR_mx and has helped save 52 lives in different natural disasters nationally and internationally.”

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

A local artist named El Pantonero commemorated her in a drawing on Twitter. The tweet, again translated, read: “Heroines and heroes of four legs. # FuerzaMexico # SomosMexico # Frida”

Heroínas y héroes de cuatro patas.#FuerzaMexico #SomosMexico #Frida pic.twitter.com/EOmIB7p2Qv

— El Pantonero (@Baruckas) September 21, 2017

Watch Frida in action, along with her other four-legged heroes, as they are put through the paces with rigorous training to accomplish their daunting missions.

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