An image shared on Twitter allegedly shows an Imam, a Turkish Islamic leader, kissing a dog’s paw after it rescued several people from the rubble caused by the recent earthquake.

Wow! Here’s gratitude being shown to a dog in Turkey by an Imam! pic.twitter.com/7psKEB7fGV

— Nasrene MacDonald 🌹 (@nasrene41) February 15, 2023

Verdict: False

The image has been digitally altered. The original photo is from 2011 in Poland.

Fact Check:

Turkey has again been struck by a tremor trapping more people under the rubble and resulting in the death of at least 6 people, BBC News has reported. The death toll from the initial earthquake has risen to 44,000 people in both Turkey and Syria, the outlet reported.

The Facebook image purportedly shows an Imam thanking a rescue dog by kissing its paw. The text on the image also claims the man in the image is an Iman thanking a dog for saving people trapped under rubble. “Wow!” the caption reads. “Here’s gratitude being shown to a dog in Turkey by an Imam!”

The image has been digitally altered. A reverse image search revealed that the image stems from an article from 2011 in Poznan, Poland. The local news report from Poland featured the original image that showed former priest, Tomasz Jaeschke with the dog, not an Imam in Turkey.

Furthermore, there is no credible news report that suggests this image is an authentic photo related to the recent earthquake in Turkey. (RELATED: Are These Search And Rescue Photos Of A dog From The Recent Earthquake In Turkey?)

This is not the first time a video with a misleading or false caption has been spread online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a post claiming birds in Kentucky died from exposure to chemicals released from the train derailment in Ohio.