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Frida The Hero Rescue Dog Gets Statue Honoring Work Following Mexico Earthquake

MEXICO-QUAKE-RESCUE-DOG-FRIDA
Frida, a rescue dog belonging to the Mexican Navy, with her handler Israel Arauz Salinas, takes a break while participating in the effort to look for people trapped at the Rebsamen school in Mexico City, on September 22, 2017, three days after the devastating earthquake that hit central Mexico. (Photo credit: OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images)

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA) — A rescue dog that reached "hero status" for its work following the deadly earthquake in Mexico City last year got a peak at the new statue erected in its honor.

Frida the Labrador retriever pressed up her nose against her bronze likeness at a ceremony at Parque Ecológico in Puebla City Thursday, Remezcla reported. Alongside her is a sculpture of her trainer Israel Arauz.

A plaque in front of the duo from the Mexican Marines reads,

"Memorable symbols of the strength Mexicans can have when we decide to come together for great causes."

Frida and Israel were on the front lines of the rescue efforts in the wake the 7.1-magnitude earthquake that rocked the capital city and surrounding areas on September 19. The dog is was credited with saving at least a dozen lives as she searched through the rubble in the days following the tremor.

A veteran rescue dog, the 7-year-old — roughly 54 is you're keeping the canine count — had already been deployed to natural disaster areas at home and abroad, helping save a total of 52 lives, the Mexican office of the presidency tweeted before the earthquake.

Nearly 300 people died in the September 19 temblor, with the total death toll reaching almost 400 as aftershocks hit the area.

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