Meet Frida, the beautiful rescue dog saving lives in Mexico after the earthquake

Mexicans are still reeling from a catastrophic earthquake that killed at least 230 people. There is little to smile about in the South American nation. But one source of joy has emerged among the rubble: Frida, a labrador.

The adorable 7-year-old has melted hearts around the world as photos of her bravely sifting through the carnage in Mexico City with her Navy handlers went viral.

Her special dog-boots and dog-goggles have created a fan base on social media and reportedly led one man to get a tattoo of the heroic canine.

Her Navy Seal colleagues told Reuters that she has saved 12 people's lives during her career before the latest quake. She uses her fantastic sense of smell to pick people out in the aftermaths of natural and manmade disasters.

The Mexican dog is so talented she has been sent on special missions in foreign lands. Last year, she helped out after an earthquake in Ecuador while in 2015 she attended a landslide in Guatemala.

Officials have not yet disclosed just how many lives she has saved from the 7.1-magnitude quake in the Mexican capital. She is still 'on the job' as rescue teams desperately try to salvage lives from the disaster on Tuesday 19 September. Fifty-two buildings have collapsed and there are fears that the death toll will exceed 300.

Frida has been hardest at work in southern Mexico City, stationed at a school where 19 children and six adults died. The fate of those children has been the most heartbreaking story to emerge from the wreckage so far. However, 11 of their schoolmates were rescued by Frida and her co-workers.

She has a year left until she retires from service and gets to put her paws up. Her finely tuned sense of smell will began to deteriorate from the age of eight – 56 in dog years. Israel Arauz, her handler for the last two years said: "It's a source of pride to work with Frida. She's a very, very special dog."