Awarded for finding a 6-year-old child buried in earthquake-stricken Turkiye was NDRF dog Julie

Officials announced on Saturday that six-year-old NDRF dog Julie has received a commendation certificate for finding and assisting rescuers in saving a little child who was trapped behind piles of debris in Turkiye in February.

The female Labrador was a member of the Indian National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team that was sent as part of “Operation Dost” to assist and rescue those affected by the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated Turkey and nearby Syria on February 6.

The “director general’s commendation role” has been given to Julie for her outstanding search and rescue efforts throughout this operation. According to a senior officer, she was picked for this honour specifically for the part she played in spotting life within the wreckage of a multi-story structure, which helped rescue six-year-old Beren, who had been trapped for more than 70 hours.

Beren was recovered from Turkiye’s Gaziantep region, and when Julie initially pointed out a live victim, Romeo, a male Labrador dog, also signalled the existence of life by barking.

Julie is a member of the NDRF’s 2nd battalion, which is stationed in Kolkata.