On April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook Nepal, leaving the country in a state of devastating wreckage. Many thousands of lives were lost, buildings and monuments are in shambles, and the nation is struggling to rebuild itself amid a new wave of lesser-magnitude earthquakes, according to the Wall Street Journal.
To aid in ongoing relief, many have contracted teams of rescue dogs from all over the United States to help in rescue efforts. As LittleThings writer Amber James reported last week, “the United States has sent two Task Forces (California Task Force 2 and Virginia Task Force 1) to assist in rescue and recovery efforts in Nepal in response to a request from their government. The California contingent included six Canine-Firefighter Search Teams trained by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation.
Now, another hero has entered the mix. A yellow lab named Ripley from Sioux City, Iowa will help rescue searchers locate survivors in Kathmandu, Nepal. Ripley is himself a survivor, a stray rescued 17 months ago who was taken in and trained by the Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue Center and has since aided in saving countless crisis victims.
Cindy Rarrat of the team who rescued Ripley tells the Mason City Globe Gazette that his story makes her feel "amazing.” She adds, “Ripley went from being a dog that had no purpose and no one in life to now providing a service to humans and experiencing more love than he can imagine."
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