They are not human, but they have done their best to save people. Now they're leaving us alone.
By 2025, 67 search and rescue dogs involved in the Wenchuan earthquake had died. The last search and rescue dog, Tien Tien, died recently at Sichuan Chengdu, age 16.
This is the end of an era and a silent farewell to loyalty and dedication.
One, they used to excavate life in ruins.
On 12 May 2008, an extraordinary earthquake of 8.0 magnitude struck Sichuan Wenchuan, which shattered mountain rivers and caused heavy casualties. At that moment, the Chinese rescue forces moved all the way to the disaster zone, and the first group of unspoken “heroes” — search and rescue dogs.
They smell the life that is almost lost in the ruins, even if they are covered with steel and rubble, and if they break their claws, they never retreat. It has been described as follows: “They keep running on the ruins, and every time they stop, they respond to life.”
According to statistics, during the Wenchuan earthquake rescue, these 67 search dogs helped to find and rescue more than 1,000 trapped people, behind many miracles.
From rescue hero to old age evening
After the rescue, most search and rescue dogs did not retire but continued to serve at training bases and fire systems to their old age. Some of them are placed in centres for the welfare of honorary dogs and are entitled to “retired life”. They are no longer running, but they are still military-like.
The last of these, the “Zenith House”, has carried out several earthquake rescue missions in Wenchuan, Yushu and Yaan. At an old age, it suffers from arthritis and old cataracts, but still knows the direction of the sound and until the last minute it is accompanied by the trainer in peace and gentleness.
Many of the instructors said, "The dog is not gone, we all feel it is."
Three, they don't have names, they just have code names, they've saved countless families.
In the face of disaster, they are not treated with “pity”, but with trust and dependence. When humans cry for help, they are the first to burst into ruins.
They don't know what “hero” is, and they don't know that they are “heroes”, but they use their instincts to save people, and they use their lives to fulfil the word “faith”.
Some of the search dogs were too seriously injured to be able to carry out their tasks, and others died early from illness, but without exception, they gave the most selfless effort to this rescue.
Four, heroes shouldn't be forgotten.
Now, 17 years have passed. The 67 “life detectors” of the past have all left the world. They have no tombstones, no medals, but in the hearts of people they have long been with those who rescue them, a memory that never fades.
They're dogs, and they're humanity's most loyal comrades.
Let's remember their names, even if they're just numbers. Let us pay tribute to them, even if they never ask to be remembered.
Concluding remarks:
"You may not remember their faces, but you must know who they fought for."
Sixty-seven search dogs, a history of silent heroes.
They are gone, but their stories will not be buried.
Salute, rescue hero.