Frida (dog)
Frida the Rescue Dog is a Golden Labrador Retriever in the Mexican Navy. She was deployed in the event of natural disasters to help the rescue efforts. Frida has helped save the lives of people buried under the rubble of buildings that collapsed in the 2010 Haiti earthquake, victims of a landslide in Guatemala in 2012, after the explosion of the Torre Ejecutiva Pemex in Mexico City in 2013, the 2016 Ecuador earthquake and the 2017 Puebla earthquake in Mexico. Reports have suggested that she has located more than 52 people.
Her trainer and handler has been Petty Officer 2nd Class Israel Arauz Salinas. Equipped with protective goggles, harness and boots she is trained to bark if she detects someone in need of help.
She has been honoured with a statue in Puebla, where she was at the unveiling ceremony.
The Puebla statue is not the only piece of art that celebrates the heroic actions and achievements of Frida. As a social media star and Mexican icon, Frida been featured in fan art, on t-shirts, in comic books and in a large colorful mural in the Mexico City neighborhood of Roma.
Frida retired from rescue work on 25 June 2019 but will remain in service helping to train other dogs.
