Dog pictured by rubble was not taken in Turkey earthquake aftermath

An image has been circulating on Twitter and Facebook showing a dog lying next to a person’s arm emerging from the rubble of a collapsed building, with claims that it is linked to the recent earthquakes affecting Turkey and Syria.

However, the picture was not taken in the earthquake’s aftermath. It is actually a stock image taken by a professional photographer in October 2018. There are also other pictures from different angles showing the same shoot.

Another post on Facebook uses a combination of these stock images with the caption: “An image that goes around the world is that of a dog that searched through the rubble for its family after the strong earthquake in Turkey.”

Dogs have been used in the search and rescue operations following the earthquake, and genuine pictures and videos of this exist. Several countries have sent additional trained sniffer dogs to help.

This picture is one of several pieces of content we’ve seen shared in the aftermath of the earthquake falsely claiming to depict it.

Such images or videos are usually shared in good faith in the wake of a major news event or crisis, but it’s a good idea to check something before you repost it. You can read more about how to tell whether a video is reliable in our guide.