Labrador fired for being ‘too playful' becomes hero of Taiwan earthquake rescue

Originally trained as a drug-sniffing dog as a puppy, Roger got fired for being friendly. He now “specialises in search and rescue in Kaohsiung City in Taiwan”.

A Labrador, trained as a drug-sniffing K9, who got fired from his job for being ‘too friendly’ has turned into an unlikely hero of the Taiwan earthquake rescue team. The dog ventured into treacherous areas around the epicentre to help his human colleagues.

The image shows a Labrador named Roger, who became a hero during the Taiwan earthquake rescue after being fired from his job as a drug-sniffing dog. (Instagram/@weratedogs)

We Rate Dogs took to Instagram to share a detailed post about this adorable dog named Roger. “This is Roger. He specialises in search and rescue in Kaohsiung City in Taiwan. He was originally trained as a drug-sniffing dog as a puppy (frame 6), but he got fired from that role because he kept getting distracted by anyone who would show him attention. That led to his switch to search-and-rescue missions. Taiwan suffered an earthquake last week that was their strongest in 25 years, but they’re receiving praise for their preparedness and quick response, Roger included. Roger’s alerts in the treacherous area around the epicentre allowed the team to locate three bodies, including one, just five minutes after arriving,” they wrote.

In the following lines, they added more about Roger's playful side, including an incident where he lunged at a reporter’s microphone. “The 8-year-old labrador will retire from service soon, with so much to be proud of,” they wrote and concluded the post. A series of visuals posted along with the post shows Roger and his antics.

Take a look at this video of the brave dog Roger:

The post was shared about 10 hours ago. Since then, it has collected more than 98,000 likes, and the numbers are still increasing. The share has further prompted people to post varied reactions.

What did Instagram users say about this post?

“That microphone was disguised as a dog toy, totally not Roger's fault. In fact, Roger has never been wrong about anything in his whole life,” posted an Instagram user.

“Couldn’t find drugs because he’s so dang good at finding friends,” shared another.

“This is proof that the perfect job exists for everyone. You just have to find what works for you,” joined a third.

“He didn’t get fired, he got a promotion! Way to go, Roger!” praised a fourth.

“Not his fault that mic foamy looked like a ball 15/10, totally justified,” commented a fifth.

“Love this! My niece has a cardiac service dog that occasionally gets called out to assist with body searches. They learned he had this talent for tracking after a young man had relieved himself, and they volunteered their ATVs to clear brush in a ground search in an overgrown area. Instead, Remi immediately tracked over a mile directly to a shed hidden under spring growth to unite the grieving family with their loved one missing more than a month,” expressed a sixth.

“Roger is an expert in search and rescue, but also an expert in the importance of work-life balance, always making time for play whether microphone or actual dog toy,” wrote a seventh.