2008-05-19 06:55:48 GMT 2008-05-19 14:55:48 (Beijing Time)China Daily





Firefightersconduct rescue operation with search dogs at Mianzhu of southwestChina's Sichuan Province on May 18, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

BEIJING,May 19 -- It was more than 72 hours after the quake and no cry for helpcould be heard from the rubble of Beichuan Middle School amid the dinof heavy machinery around.

A rescue team from Chongqingwas doing a last search on the school's collapsed main building, givingup hope of any survivors - when a sniffer dog barked.

Rescuersstarted moving heavy concrete chunks at the spot and two hours later,they found a girl in coma, her legs wounded badly, but still breathing.

She was reportedly the last survivor found in the school.

Theefficacy and efficiency of sniffer dogs have become legion in thequake-hit areas of Sichuan, where they are often seen as the last lineof hope.

More than 100 are working day and night,searching for signs of lingering life from corners and crevices thatare beyond the reach of human senses.

"I've had my dogever since he was a couple of months old but he's never been in suchsurroundings - the smell of bodies, the aftershocks and endless noiseof power generators and hydraulic machines," said Qi Zhigang, keeper ofSi Dao, a 6-year-old black Labrador.

Qi, a firefighter from Jiangsu, has been in Beichuan since last Thursday with a team accompanied by eight sniffer dogs.

"SiDao has been searching on and on, and when he detects something hebarks and scratches the rubble," Qi said. "He eats one meal per day andhas slept only a couple of hours since we got here. He's really workinghard."

Since Friday, Si Dao has managed to locate a few survivors but most of those he sniffed out were dead, Qi added.

As time runs out for survivors, rescue workers are pinning their hopes on dogs to guide men and machines to trapped people.

InDujiangyan, a rescue team with seven dogs from Shandong province hassoldiered on for almost 80 straight hours since last Tuesday and almostscoured the entire city.

Many dogs have sufferedinjuries on their mouths or paws by broken glass, steel bars or nailsin the debris. Typically, their keepers and they have a couple ofhours' nap a day in a tent and then get back to work.

SilverTiger, one of the seven sniffer dogs from Yunnan province, even caughta cold last Friday after strenuous efforts - his keeper fed him pillsand believes he will recover soon.

Then, there is themental stress. A dog from Zhejiang province started sobbing whensearching through a building in the city of Mianzhu.

Rescuers then found two bodies underneath the debris the dog pointed to.

"Thedog has been taught to find people alive. He's never seen so many deadand he must be very grief-stricken," the dog's keeper said.

Thereis no official count how many people have been saved by the dogs butthey certainly had a hand to play in most of the miracle rescues.

Inthe hard-hit city of Dujiangyan, the rescue team from Shandong sent twodogs to a collapsed factory building last Thursday after hearing theremight be survivors. In just five minutes, the dogs pointed to fourtargets in the debris; and after four hours, rescuers dug out onesurvivor and four bodies.

"Every dog we brought hasperformed well," said Tang Hu, head of a fire brigade from Qingdao,Shandong province. His dogs have helped find dozens trapped in debrisin Dujiangyan, including a pregnant woman and her mother under acollapsed 5-story building.

The dogs have become heroesin the city. Many residents are refusing to clear debris unless a doghas confirmed there is nobody left underneath. Some families have cutthe rations of their pet dogs to supply the professionals.

The canine efforts are certainly being recognized and appreciated.

TheMinistry of Public Security ordered 100 pairs of special sheaths to besent to Sichuan to protect the dogs from further injuries.

ChinaEastern Airlines ignored rules for two dogs from Jiangsu: The rescueteam did not carry cages for two dogs which should go into the freightcabin; instead, they traveled the same way passengers do.

Thedogs mainly came from three top bases: The Beijing Military Command,the China Seismological Bureau and the fire department in thenortheastern city of Shenyang apart from fire departments around thecountry.

There was in international flavor over theweekend as dogs from Japan, Russia, Singapore and South Korea landedtogether with their handlers and specialist equipment.

Private organizations, too, are keen to contribute to the rescue mission.

TheHangzhou Fire-fighting Sniffer Dogs Association - arguably the onlysuch private society in the country - sent a German shepherd and agolden retriever just hours after the quake.

(Source: China Daily)