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With some 150 people unaccounted for, many of whom could be
buried beneath the rubble, the Boricuas de Corazon disaster
relief team brought in a pair of four-legged friends: Tal, a
7-year-old Akbash weighing 130 pounds (59 kg), and Molley, a
1-year-old Walker Coonhound.
The dogs could help victims process their emotions, said Linda
Perez, president of Boricuas de Corazon, a nonprofit group
dedicated to helping disaster victims. Boricua is a nickname for
Puerto Ricans, and the group offers service in English and
Spanish.
So far the dogs have linked up with at least four families from
Argentina, another from Paraguay, and others who came in from
Houston, Perez told Reuters.
"They're having panic attacks or anxiety problems and we have
been able to let them work with the dogs, touching the dog,
getting their emotions out," Perez said.
Relatives of the missing have been waiting since Thursday
morning for any signs of life from their loved ones.
"They can feel the dog, they can be able to have that contact
with their eyes. It's very neat. Animals are absorbing
everything emotional that they are feeling at the same time and
they can be able to be very relaxing for them," Perez said.
The organization partners with other groups that train therapy
dogs and is prepared to stay with the victims for hours on end,
as needed.
One distraught woman asked for extended canine companionship
while awaiting the arrival of her daughter from out of state and
was told she could have support around the clock, Perez said.
"These people are suffering," Perez said. "Getting information
little by little is not pleasant for them. They are under a lot
of pressure."
(Reporting by Arlene Eiras and Julio-Cesar Chavez; Writing by
Daniel Trotta; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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