PETALING JAYA, September 9 — Four-year-old dog Baekgu has been appointed South Korea’s first honorary rescue dog on Monday after helping authorities find its owner.
CNN reported that the dog helped the rescue team find its master, Kim, a 93-year-old dementia patient staying in South Korea’s Hongseong county who fell unconscious in a field, about two kilometres from her home on August 25.
The woman’s daughter Shim Geum-sun filed a missing person report to the police after being unable to contact her mother for hours.
CCTV footage saw the senior citizen, Kim, leaving the village at dawn but despite search efforts with volunteers, the rescue team were unable to find her for nearly two days.
After a gruelling 40 hours, Kim was found in the middle of the rice field, about two kilometres from her home and had collapsed in a moist place, hidden from sight leaving her drenched and unable to get up.
Authorities said that the woman might not have made it if it’s not for her dog that stayed by her side and kept her body temperature up as she was beginning to experience symptoms of hypothermia.
Rescuers were finally able to locate the whereabouts of the woman after the search team sent out a thermal done which detected the dog’s thermal signature in the rice field.
Kim has since been hospitalised.
Her daughter Shim said that they adopted the canine three years ago.
“Baekgu especially liked my mother, and it’s as if Baekgu returned our favour.
“I was so concerned as mom went missing for hours due to the rainy weather and I’m grateful Baekgu is our family,” she said.
