Kaohsiung mayor pays tribute to search and rescue dogs, handlers

Kaohsiung, April 28 (CNA) Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Sunday visited the city's Fire Bureau, where he commended the search teams and their dogs for the work done in the wake of the deadly earthquake that struck Taiwan on April 3.

During the visit on International Search and Rescue Dog Day, Chen said the Kaohsiung dogs were heroes at the rescue sites in Hualien County, close to the epicenter of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that killed at least 18 people and injured more than 1,000.

On behalf of Kaohsiung citizens, the mayor said, he wanted to pay tribute to the rescue workers and the dogs for their efforts, and he expressed the hope that they would continue to realize their potential.

The Kaohsiung Fire Bureau has a total of 12 search and rescue dogs, including 10 which have been certified in line with International Search and Rescue Dog Organization (IRO) standards, while two are still in training, according to a press release issued Sunday.

Four of the certified dogs were on the search and rescue teams in Hualien earlier this month, including a Labrador retriever named Roger, which stole the hearts of many Taiwanese with its spirited actions on the search trails. Roger also located a body that was buried under an avalanche of rocks on the Shakadang Trail in Hualien, where at least six people were reported missing.

Related: Rescue dog Roger captures hearts of people in search for quake victims

The other three dogs on the search and rescue team in eastern Taiwan were Vance and Mina -- also Labrador retrievers -- and a Belgian wolf dog named Danpachi.

Chen Chih-san (陳志三), the search and rescue team leader, was cited in the bureau's press release as saying that the search and rescue dogs are fast and agile, with noses that are a hundred times more sensitive than those of humans.

On rescue missions, the dogs can detect survivors' breath, body temperature and cell metabolism, which make the canines more effective than detection machinery at complicated disaster sites, Chen Chih-san said.

The dog handlers are also a crucial part of the team, as they not only train the dogs but are responsible for their own safety and that of the dogs at the rescue sites, Chen Chih-san said. The handlers, therefore, need to remain calm so that they do not unsettle the dogs, he added.

One of the handlers, Su Kuan-ming (蘇冠銘) who trains Vance, said it is a difficult task, according to the press release. Training begins when the canines are pups, and they generally do not achieve intermediate IRO certification until they are 30-36 months old, which allows them to start search and rescue work, he was cited as saying.

Currently, Vance and another dog have intermediate IRO certification, while Roger and five others on the Kaohsiung Fire Bureau team have advanced certification, and two have preliminary certification, according to the press release.

The bureau said it first obtained search and rescue dogs in 2005, and it subsequently set up a training center on par with international standards, the first of its kind in Taiwan.

International Search and Rescue Dog Day is observed annually on the last Sunday in April.