Meet Frida: Mexico's Furry Four-Legged Hero
- Anna Robb
- Oct 11, 2017
- 2 min read
(Photo/GlobalPost: Frida, Mexico's four- legged hero works closely with Mexico's search and rescue team following the Mexico City earthquake. Frida wears her special search and rescue goggles, also known as doggles.)
On Sept. 19 a 7.1 magnitude earthquake devastated Mexico City, killing more that 300 residents and injuring multiple more. This earthquake came exactly 32 years after the deadliest earthquake in the history of the city killed 10,000 at a recorded 8.0 magnitude.
Following the 2017 quake, rescue teams set out to search for survivors who may have been buried in the rubble. Accompanying them, was a furry companion that is now being named a hero by the city.
Frida is an 8 year old labrador retriever that works with the Mexican Navy as a sniffer. During her time working with the Navy Frida has rescued 12 people and has found 53 bodies under rubble.
One reporter named Franc Contras, who went to meet with Frida for the China Global Television, thinks that Frida as well as other search and rescue dogs have given Mexico a sense of hope following the disaster.
“There have been a lot of reasons to divide Mexicans, politics economics, but after this disaster, you could really see the country pulling together and somehow, you know, these furry creatures on the scene helped lift people's spirits,” Contreras said.
Since her rescues following the most recent quake, Frida's face can be found in a multitude of places including shirts, murals, and mugs. Shops in Mexico City have began to sell Frida stuffed animals and one man even had Frida's face tattooed onto him. There is also a campaign being held on Facebook that it trying to have Frida's face replace Diego Rivera's on the 500 peso bank note.
Fans in attendance at the recent World Cup qualifying match for Mexico's soccer team broke into chant during the match, but to much surprise the chants were not for any of the players, but for Frida.
Rumors of Frida's retirement have been circulating , but Frida's handler recently confirmed that she is still very capable of suiting up and getting to work.
