The first few years of this dog's life were far from rosy.
In fact, for the first two years of her life, Roma the Labrador Retriever lived behind bars in a rescue centre in Pasadena, California.
Spotting her potential
Nobody seemed to be interested in her, until one of the staff members at the rescue centre noticed Roma's incredible potential. She had a strong feeling that the dog could make an excellent search and rescue dog. So, she contacted the Search Dog Foundation to introduce them to her.
Her intuition turned out to be absolutely spot on. Roma successfully completed her training before meeting her future handler, Derek Moree. The duo then joined an international team specialising in rescue operations.
Finding people in danger
Now six years old, Roma specialises in locating people buried under rubble. The brave dog can detect a human presence deep beneath the debris and guide rescuers to the exact areas where victims might be trapped.
Recently, Roma and Derek were deployed to Venezuela following devastating earthquakes. Alongside the other dogs in the team, Roma took part in the search efforts, helping to locate more than a dozen people trapped beneath the rubble.
We are incredibly impressed by this hero, who is soon to receive the "Pet Hero Award" at an official ceremony. Roma will receive her own honorary plaque as well as a year's supply of dog food. Her kind-hearted human has chosen to donate the food to a local charity. Well done on your journey and your bravery, Roma, you are truly inspiring!
Translated from the FR Wamiz website using artificial intelligence
