Founder and director pedro frutos told us they were some of the first to arrive at the scene and their work there was successful.
The work carried out by the K9 Creixell team is as admirable as it is necessary.
When a natural disaster occurs, as it just has in Turkey and Syria, panic ensues. Many people lose everything, many of them their lives; reality is overwhelming and help of all kinds is of paramount importance.
Trying to make sense of situations like these is not easy, but at K9 Creixell they know that, which is why they are physically and mentally prepared to give 200% when it is their turn to act. Pedro Frutos and his team and their 4-legged agents Kiwi and Hero flew to Turkey as soon as rescue efforts began They were among the first teams to arrive and this meant they were able to operate successfully and return home knowing that they had rescued a lot of people. “We go home rewarded by our efforts, having found a lot of people and this is what keeps us going”, the founder said.
But he also told us about the magnitude of the effort they had to make: “Working was stressful because everyone wanted to find their family.” This is the 18th earthquake that the K9 Creixell team has responded to.
“It was as if 5 atomic bombs had fallen on Turkey, they thought the earth would swallow them up”, Pedro Frutos told us. In such extreme circumstances, and despite the fact that it was not the worst scenario they had ever responded to, every member of the team was essential, Kiwi and Hero being the brave ones who managed to find life where humans could not.
“The dogs worked really hard, they would search for 20 minutes and then rest for another 25,” the team leader explained. Dogs play an irreplaceable role. As a member of the UME pointed out in a statement to the newspaper 20minutos: “Seeing them work is a spectacle, people stop what they are doing to watch them as they search through the rubble.
The presence of dogs at a catastrophe inspires hope, sparks emotions… It is something very special to have these canine units present”. This is the kind of amazing altruistic work, as transcendental as it is complicated, that people like Pedro Frutos, his human companions and furry heroes are doing.