Turkish municipality adds three stray dogs to search unit

ISTANBUL

Man’s best friend often gets a rough ride in Turkey, but three canines in a municipality in Istanbul will soon be providing lessons in loyalty and honor to their bipedal overlords after the local municipality adopted three strays to add to its search-and-rescue team.

Maltepe Municipality shared a photo on its Twitter account on Jan. 23, showing a municipal officer briefing the three latest recruits in his office. The instantly popular photo was part of a press release from the municipality, which has made the dogs the newest members of its 30-people team at its Search and Rescue Directorate.

“For some time these dogs have been living in the street. We rehabilitated them. Currently, they are receiving special training for search and rescue operations,” Maltepe Mayor Ali Kılıç told Hürriyet on Jan. 23.

The search and rescue unit has four boats, a helicopter and a team of divers. It is designed to intervene during emergency situations, including earthquakes, floods and fires, and can operate on land or at sea.