El Salvador Dog Names

Of course, that's not why Mancs was in El Salvador in 2001. Mancs, whose name means "paw," was a part of the Spider Special Rescue Team of Miskolc, Hungary. His task, along with the other rescue dogs, was to locate earthquake survivors who lay trapped beneath the rubble, and alerting rescuers.

What's even more tragic about the situation was that depending on how far down a person is under the rubble, dogs can only do so much. If they're above a certain depth, they either lay down to signal a dead body, or they stand, wag their tails and bark when the person is alive. But past a certain depth, all the dog can do is signal that they are unsure, and that's when rescuers and onlookers get even more worried. It means there's going to be plenty of effort involved in getting someone out, and there's no guarantee that it will lead to a heartwarming family reunion.

Still, Mancs and his owner, László Lehóczki, did their duty and helped save many people. And surprisingly, the people of El Salvador already knew of Mancs. Back in 1999, when he was only five years old, Mancs saved a little 3-year-old girl who had spent a terrifying 82 hours stuck under rubble in Turkey. 

Only two years later, he was helping more people, this time in El Salvador, so he was a bit of an icon worldwide by this point. Saving the little girl put him on the map, showing just how powerful his sense of smell was. 

That little girl showed up for the unveiling of his statue in 2015, nine years after his death from pneumonia. She was alive, and grateful, thanks to Mancs. You can imagine the way the Salvadoran people cheered these dogs on, especially Mancs, the heroic dog known around the world for saving a 3-year-old from certain death.

Salvadorans deal with earthquakes every few years, largely due to the fact that the country has an alarming number of volcanoes. Mancs is now gone, but he will always be remembered fondly in Hungary, Turkey, El Salvador, and India, where he also helped out after an earthquake.