In Iquique, Chile, firefighters put their lives on the line to save the lives of others every day. However, it’s their four-legged friend that passed away this week whose receiving all the attention.
For over ten years, their dog Negro lived with the firefighters of Iquique Fire Department. With his station dog job, he kept watch of the firehouse while the fighters responded to calls. He always had a wagging tail to greet them with when they came back.
Without a doubt, the dog’s cheery attitude always helped the job be less stressful. The dog’s happy presence helped ease the stress of those around him as they went about their often dangerous work, and made the long stretches of quiet more enjoyable in between. Sadly, Negro recently passed away.
On Tuesday, they learned their sweet dog died at age 14.
“This afternoon, one from our ranks left the earth — our four-legged firefighter,” the fire department wrote, “Thank you very much for all the years you’ve been with us. We’ll remember you forever.”
The Sweetest Tribute
They paid tribute to their awesome dog with this ceremony and memorial. But Negro’s colleagues went above and beyond to pay tribute to him with more than only words. The department’s board of directors decided to go one step further, bestowing upon the dog the rank of “honorary firefighter,” and granting him the final respects that come with it.
In the ceremony, they held a honor guard funeral to bid their farewell to their beloved pooch.
“Negro was one of us, one of this family. He was respected, loved,” Fire Captain Jorge Tapia told Soyiquique.cl. “We said goodbye in a very emotional ceremony because we were saying goodbye to one of our own, who was an important part of this company.”
As his casket was carried out, his importance to them was heartfelt and visible. They also planted a tree in his name near where he was buried and a plaque to commemorate him. The plaque reads: “In memory of our Negro. Faithful pet, friend, and protector.”
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