Dog flown to General Santos to help dig cadavers

MANILA, Philippines - Not only humans, but dogs too can be heroes.

Many times when the going gets tough, humans can depend on dogs to help.

While they are commonly known as domestic pets, there are “gifted dogs” that have risen to the occasion and helped people in dangerous situations, said Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA) president Nancy Cu Unjieng.

For instance, law enforcers have relied on their canine “buddies” to find contraband and dangerous items such as drugs and explosives in their operations.

The bravery of canines has also been often shown in search and rescue missions as what happened at the height of the typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.” 

One of the dogs called in the mission in Benguet and Mountain Province during typhoon Pepeng last October was a Belgian Malinois dog named Chairman. About 100 people died in the area and Chairman found many of them.

Yesterday afternoon, Chairman, accompanied by trainers from the Philippine K9 Search and Rescue Team, took a Philippine Airline flight to General Santos to assist in the digging of cadavers in Maguindanao province.

The skills or capabilities of dogs are highlighted in many instances, Cu Unjieng said.

“Dogs can smell 10 times better than humans and their nose helps in locating bodies buried beneath loose earth,” she said.