Tributes have poured in for Proteo, a Mexican rescue dog that died while saving lives in the ruins left behind by the devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye.
The news of the specially trained German Shepard came late Sunday from Adıyaman, one of the 10 cities affected by the earthquakes.
Local media reported that the military rescue dog, working alongside the Mexican search and rescue teams, had helped save at least two lives from under the rubble, before being severely injured in the line of duty.
The hashtag #Proteo was trending on Twitter in Türkiye Monday as people paid tribute to the rescue dog.
Mexico also paid tribute to Proteo Monday after Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval announced its death at President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's daily news conference.
“As members of the Mexican Army and Air Force, we are deeply saddened by the loss of our great comrade, the dog named Proteo,” the Mexican Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA) said in a statement.
"You accomplished your mission ... thank you for your heroic work," the military said on Twitter.
The Mexican rescue teams in Türkiye gathered Sunday to mourn and pay homage to Proteo.
“I want to say that I am proud of you because you have always been strong, hardworking and never gave up,” Proteo's trainer Villeda said in an emotional speech from the disaster area.
“All I can do is thank you for bringing me here. Unfortunately, you won't be able to come back with me, I will always remember you. I hope all of Mexico will always remember you, they will never forget you. We will meet again one day,” he said.
Proteo was named after Proteus, the son of Poseidon in Greek mythology who was believed to be able to predict the future.
It was one of the more than a dozen dogs dispatched by Mexico along with 130 military personnel following the 7.7 and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes that killed over 35,000 people.
Mexico’s famous rescue dogs are trained by the Defense Ministry and the military. They are microchipped at 3 months old before undergoing extensive training from 4 months to 1 year old, after which they are assigned to different specialties, including natural disaster rescue.
