Turkey said it hoped the puppy would “carry on the legacy” of Proteo, a Mexican rescue dog who died while searching for earthquake survivors.

More than 50,000 people were killed in the earthquake, which struck Turkey but also damaged sections of Syria.

The puppy has not yet been named.

Mexico’s military ministry, which trains search and rescue dogs for missions both at home and abroad, has urged citizens to vote for one of three names: Proteo II, Arkadas (Turkish for “friend”), or Yardim (Turkish for “help”).

Turkey’s canine gift, according to Mexico, demonstrated that “humanitarian aid knows no limits or borders.”

The ministry also posted a link on its Twitter account so lovers of the puppy could track the flight from Istanbul to Mexico City.

Staff from the Ministry of Defence greeted the puppy warmly at Mexico City’s airport. As the new recruit arrived, the dog trainers, who were carrying the puppies they were training in rucksack-like pouches in front of them, stood to attention.

Mexico, a country prone to earthquakes, has a number of civilian and military teams equipped with canine units that search for survivors when calamities hit.

When the dogs saved several lives following the 2017 earthquake in central Mexico, they won the hearts of many Mexicans.

When a major earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, Mexico promptly deployed teams with rescue dogs to help discover individuals under the rubble.

Proteo died while on duty in Adiyaman, Turkey.
Proteo passed away in Turkey. His trainer denied that the dog was hit by falling rubble, stating he died of “exhaustion” after the long travel and arduous hours searching for survivors in freezing temperatures.

His ashes were repatriated to Mexico, where he was commemorated in a moving ceremony before being laid to rest.

Mexico’s defence ministry stated on Facebook that it was “waiting with open arms” for the puppy Turkey had provided, hoping it would follow in his paw steps.