Search dog comforts Taiwanese in shock due to earthquake

Roger, an eight-year-old search and rescue dog, has been hailed as a ‘hero’ in Taiwan, as the dog found the body of a 21-year-old woman in the southern city of Kaohsiung after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan on April 3, the Central News Agency, Ziyushibo and others reported on Monday.

Authorities in Kaohsiung have deployed four search and rescue dogs, including Roger, to find people missing or killed in the quake. Roger found the woman's body in a pile of fallen rocks in the Taroko Gorge, where many of the missing and dead were located.

"Roger stopped at a certain point while searching through the rock pile and gave a signal. Thanks to him, rescue workers were able to find the victim,” Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai wrote on Facebook.

Roger, a light brown Labrador retriever, was originally bred as a drug detection dog for the Taiwan customs service. In 2017, he was deemed unsuitable as a narcotics dog requiring calmness because he was too active and energetic from an early age. Then, he was reborn as a search and rescue dog. He has participated in seven rescue operations, including the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that hit the Kaohsiung region in 2018.

Roger disclosed his personality without reservation during the latest search mission, when he chewed on a microphone held out by a reporter to interview rescuers. A recent photo of him chewing on a toy gift from Mayor Chen has also gone viral. It is said to have provided a moment of laughter for many of the grieving public. The city has also released photos of Roger and other search dogs playing with toy gifts.


이청아 clearlee@donga.com