Veterinarians send Mexico puppy after search dog’s death

ANKARA

A German Shepherd puppy has arrived in Mexico after being flown from the capital Ankara as a gesture of gratitude from two veterinarians for the help Mexico’s search dog Proteo lent after February’s devastating earthquakes.

Güven Kurnaz and Deniz Çayır sent a 2-month-old puppy to Mexico in the hope that it would keep the memory of Proteo, which died during the search for survivors of the quake, alive.

The veterinarians, who were voluntarily taking care of pets and stray animals in the quake-hit southern province of Adıyaman when Proteo died on Feb. 10, contacted the Mexican embassy and conveyed their wish to gift a dog to carry his legacy.

Kurnaz and Çayır handed over the 2-month-old German shepherd dog they adopted to the embassy after their care and control.

The puppy will serve as a search and rescue dog wearing a vest with the Turkish flag on it after six months of training.

The Mexican Defense Ministry, which trains search and rescue dogs for their missions at home and abroad, asked people to cast their votes for one of the three names: Proteo II, Arkadaş (friend in Turkish), or Yardım (help in Turkish). The puppy was named Arkadaş.

In a social media post, the ministry also provided a link by which anyone could track the flight which took it to Mexico City from Istanbul.

The dog was given a warm welcome by staff from the ministry at Mexico City’s airport.

Mexico, a country prone to earthquakes, has a number of civilian and military teams with canine units specialized in searching for survivors when disasters strike.

Proteo was one of the 16 Mexican search and rescue dogs deployed to Türkiye to help with rescue efforts following the devastating disaster that struck the country’s south, as well as neighboring Syria.

Working among ruins, Proteo was able to locate two survivors before his death. His trainer denied rumors that the dog had been hit by falling rubble, saying that he had died from “exhaustion” after the long journey and arduous hours searching for survivors in very cold conditions.