Old Stock Image of a SAR dog Goes Viral as A Pet Dog Besides Its Master, Amidst Turkey Devastation…

The entire world was weeping for Turkey after the recent wave of earthquakes which devastated the region, of which the death toll has risen to several thousands. Many sensitive videos and photo stories continue to emerge amidst the rubble of the earthquake-stricken areas of Tukey & Syria.

Among such footage, a heart-wrenching photo that grabbed the attention of millions of social media users was an image of a pet dog who purportedly did not abandon his master.

Social Media Posts:

Social media users claimed that this heartbreaking photo of a pet dog lying beside his master, the little girl trapped inside the rubble, was captured amidst the recent devastation in Turkey after the earthquakes, as seen below.

Facebook | Archived Link

Few other claims attributed this photo to the testimony of the unconditional love of dogs towards their masters, again concerning the earthquake in Turkey. Such posts circulated like this and this. Archived Link | Archived Link

However, what really happened here? Let’s look at the facts.

Fact Check:

We first performed a reverse image search to find more details about this photo. The results led to a stock image of ‘Alamy’ credited to Czech photographer Jaroslav Noska, dated October 17, 2018. We also noticed that Alamy Stock Images listed the viral photo under the title “Dog looking for injured people in ruins after earthquake.”

alamy | Archived Link

Alamy | Archived Link

The photos can also be found on ‘Shutterstock’ as well. However, the location where the photographs were taken was not specified.

Many international fact-checking groups, including us, have contacted the Czech photographer Jaroslav Noska who took these photos, and have yet to receive a response so far about the exact whereabouts in 2018. However, we look forward to updating this article with his responses.

Was there any such earthquake in Turkey in 2018?

Our attention was drawn to the earthquakes that occurred in October 2018, when these photos were published, yet we have yet to find any reports of a major quake in Turkey.

A major earthquake of 7.5 magnitude was reported in the Central Sulawesi region of Indonesia, resulting in 1.5 m Tsunami waves, which caused widespread damage and destruction in Palu and Dongala areas. Rescue forces were used for this search and rescue mission, including dogs. Foreign media reports on the 2018 Indonesian quake here, here & here. Photos here.

Search and rescue dogs (SAR)

Search And Rescue (SAR) dogs, such as the one seen in the viral image, are a type of professionally trained dogs to provide aid for service workers and civilians during human disasters, such as the one currently experiencing in Tukey.

For example, in the event that someone is trapped or buried beneath the rubble, a SAR dog will sniff out their scent and alert emergency technicians to look to find people in danger.

Mission-ready SAR dogs are certified through rigorous training and testing. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has a certification process for tasks concerning urban rescue. Other SAR certification programs can be found through the American Rescue Dog Association, National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR), and other programs depending on location.

Search and rescue dog training is dependent on a dog’s area of specialty. Generally, SAR dogs are trained to focus on scent to locate something or someone, take their handler to the spot where they’ve found something, or stay by the side of someone in danger until another human can help them. Click here & here for more information on this.

The 2023 February Earthquake in Turkey

The devastating series of earthquakes rocked Turkey and Syria on Monday has left tens of thousands injured and nearly eight thousand deaths.

Thousands of buildings have collapsed in the two nations, and aid agencies are warning of “catastrophic” repercussions in northwest Syria, where millions of vulnerable and displaced people already rely on humanitarian support.

Massive rescue efforts are underway, with the global community offering assistance in search and recovery operations. Meanwhile, agencies have warned that fatalities from the disaster could climb significantly higher in the coming days.

Rescue workers are now racing against time to pull survivors out from under debris on both sides of the border. In addition, many governments and aid groups worldwide have rushed to dispatch personnel, funds, and equipment to help the rescue efforts in quake-stricken areas of Turkey and Syria. For more details, here.

SAR dog teams have also been dispatched from several countries, such as Mexico and Germany, for the Turkey tragedy.

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