Ruin And Rescue Dogs In Quake-ravaged Wajima

Elsa the rescue dog helps firefighters search for people in quake-hit Wajima (Credit: AFP)

Joining soldiers and firefighters in the desperate search for survivors after a huge earthquake in central Japan was rescue dog Elsa, described by her trainer as "the best of the best".

Nimbly crossing loose roof tiles and splintered wooden beams, she sniffed through the wreckage of a destroyed wooden house in Wajima, one of the cities worst hit by the 7.5-magnitude earthquake on New Year's Day.