KAOHSIUNG (TVBS News) — Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-mai personally welcomed home a special search and rescue team on Sunday (April 7), including four rescue dogs who were gifted lollipop and ice cream-shaped toys.
One of the dogs, an energetic rescue canine named Roger, promptly chewed his toy to pieces.
Roger, a rescue dog from Kaohsiung, played a crucial role in the search and rescue operations following the April 3 earthquake in Hualien. He was instrumental in locating the bodies of the deceased members of the Yu family in the heavily affected Shakadang Trail area.
The Kaohsiung City Government's Fire Bureau dispatched a special search and rescue team to Hualien after the earthquake, with the team consisting of 65 professionals and four rescue dogs: Roger, Wans, Chuanba, and Mina. Roger alone found three missing members of the Yu family who had tragically perished in the disaster.
Upon the team's return to the Nanzih Training Center in Kaohsiung, Mayor Chen Chi-mai personally greeted and thanked each member.
Roger, who is 8 years old and nearing retirement, was previously a drug-sniffing dog for the Customs Administration.
Despite his lively and destructive nature, which led to his dismissal in 2017, Roger has been described by his handler, Lee Hsin-hung, as an "exceptionally good rescue dog."
Roger passed the intermediate exam in the International Search and Rescue Dog Organization (IRO) certification after two attempts.
