LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada Task Force 1's Urban Search and Rescue Team is saying goodbye to a beloved member of the team.
On Thursday, the group announced that Nero, one of their canine members, has died from complications due to a medical condition. He was 12 years old.
Nero worked on multiple missions throughout his career.
That includes responding to the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in 2021 and traveling to Hawaii during the Maui fires.
During the fires, members of the team previously told Channel 13 they worked through difficult conditions. Michael Porter was one of the task force leaders on the Maui mission and he described what he and his K-9 Dexter saw on the front lines.
"We pushed out into the field immediately and started our search strategy and spent our time there search the burn area. All the team was out in the field and systematically took sections, as defined by our leadership there, and searched the area. The burn area was sometimes overwhelming. It took a few days to understand the magnitude of the situation," Porter said back in August. "My partner Sue and her dog Corey were there. We teamed up every day and we took turns. Because of the heat, the terrain, and the burn area, we were constantly trading off and working 20 minutes each. The team was our safeties. They would move stuff that needed to be moved."
Frank Taylor was another task force leader on that mission and said dogs like Nero not only did their jobs well, they also gave them emotional support.
"All you have to do is be near a dog and start scratching its head. It just makes you feel better."
