Getting off the bus, we all marched off in an orderly fashion and headed on the overhead walkway toward a field at the museum where everyone lined up and excitedly anticipated the demonstration of the rescue dogs.

Three large orange buckets like plastic containers measuring approximately 2 meters in height and 2 meters in circumference were set up for the rescue dog demonstration.

A student was chosen to participate. The student touched a shirt, which gave off their scent and then was hidden into one of the orange containers with no dog in sight. Once safely hidden in the container, a beautiful black Labrador retriever was let out and given the scent on the shirt and then the command to rescue the hidden student. After using its well-trained nose to pick up the student’s scent, it placed its paws on the correct container and barked at its handler. The audience applauded with joy and enthusiasm.

More rescue scenarios were acted out with other dogs and then everyone got to pet the dogs and take photos with them. They were so cute!

We headed into a theatre where we sat down and listened to a very impressive presentation on rescue dogs and proper safety precautions to take in case of an emergency. The children were given different samples to sniff and write down what they smelled.

We took a tour of the surrounding ruined buildings which were preserved for the museum and saw impressive aerial photographs of the big earthquake in 1999 at the epicenter and surrounding area.

We watched one final presentation about how tectonic plates and seismic activity affect the island of Taiwan. Then we headed back to the bus. Earthquakes are truly a terrifying phenomenon!

By Teacher Patrick and Teacher Peter