Thai search dogs go from sniffing to soothing at collapsed tower site

The Star

Two rescue dogs in Bangkok, Thailand, briefly shifted roles on Wednesday (Apr 2), offering emotional support after five days of searching through the rubble for survivors following last week’s devastating earthquake.  Read more at https://tinyurl.com/36p6z8hv  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00From sniffing through rubble for survivors to offering solace to grieving families,

00:06rescue dogs at the collapsed building site in Bangkok shifted roles on Wednesday,

00:11providing emotional support as the search entered its fifth day.

00:15Inside a temporary shelter, two golden retrievers greeted the families of the missing.

00:20Chanpen Keonoy, whose mother and younger sister remain unaccounted for,

00:25said the brief interaction brought her a small sense of comfort.

00:30I hope that my mother and younger sister will come out safely.

00:34No matter what happens, I want them to be safe.

00:41Officials explained that while the dogs are typically trained to detect both survivors and bodies,

00:47they could also be reassigned to help ease the emotional strain on families.

00:51Our dogs are well trained in such that we can use them for dual purposes.

00:56Their job is search and rescue, but in a situation like this,

00:59where they're not working because we're waiting for their instructions,

01:02we can also use them for emotional support.

01:05The focus is to just distract them from what's going on and to cheer them up.

01:10A dog has amazing powers, and touching a dog really gives some nice relief for people,

01:17so it's a good emotional support.

01:21The search and rescue operation in Bangkok has now surpassed 100 hours,

01:26with 22 confirmed deaths nationwide and 72 people still missing as of 6 a.m. local time.

01:33Meanwhile, in Myanmar, the death toll from the powerful March 28 earthquake has risen to over 2,700.

01:50For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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