Hero rescue dog basks in twilight years at fire station

NANJING－Ouyang Honghong, a fire department dog handler in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, walks Bingjie, his 14-year-old English springer spaniel sniffer dog, on the hill at the back of the fire station where he works.

Bingjie can no longer participate in rescue operations with Ouyang due to his age, but when he was younger he helped save 13 people from the rubble of the deadly magnitude 8 earthquake that hit Wenchuan county in Sichuan province in 2008.

His earlier training and missions have left many strains and injuries on his body and the old black-and-white dog also suffers from chronic diseases and a decline in cardiopulmonary function.

"He has poor hearing ability and chronic arthritis in his hind legs," Ouyang said. "He even has difficulty chewing food. We have to soak his food in milk or soup to make it easy to digest."

Bingjie was paired up with Ouyang in 2007 during a dog training course. The duo has participated in numerous rescue missions during natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes and snowstorms.

"No matter how dangerous or difficult the mission was, Bingjie never held back," Ouyang said.

Although Bingjie now walks with a stagger, his eyes still shine with enthusiasm and are always fixed on Ouyang when he trains young search and rescue dogs.

"His persistence and passion for work really impress me," said Ouyang, adding that Bingjie did not stop searching until he found signs of life during the Wenchuan rescue mission.

Owing to his breed, Bingjie is small, flexible, has an acute sense of smell, and was easy to train, making search and rescue operations his forte.

"When we reached a local kindergarten, Bingjie promptly rushed to the ruins and started barking at a crevice," Ouyang said.

"Then we followed Bingjie to the crevice and heard a child's faint cry for help."

With the help of specialist equipment, rescuers pulled a 6-year-old girl out of the ruins. Bingjie continued to sniff over the rest of the rubble, searching for more lives.

Still authorized as a service dog by Nanjing's fire services department, Bingjie seldom joins training due to his age and health conditions. Taking a walk with Ouyang and sunbathing are part of his daily routine.

"We just want to offer Bingjie a good living environment so he can enjoy the rest of his life," Ouyang said.

Despite his age, Bingjie's skills continue to be active thanks to his early training. A single command from Ouyang can rouse him to alertness from a state of relaxation. He can still find a hidden target in a box within two minutes.

"I have spent more time with Bingjie than with my family," Ouyang said.

"For me, he is both my brother-in-arms and my family.

"Sometimes, he acts like a naughty child inviting me to play ball, but keeps the ball in his mouth on purpose. I just want to spend time with him every day while he is alive."

Xinhua