Venezuela rescue dog Tsunami found 26 quake survivors, becoming a symbol of hope in process

After Venezuela's devastating June 24 earthquakes, a rescue dog named Tsunami emerged as one of the country's most recognizable responders.

The black-and-white border collie, distinguished by one blue eye and one brown eye, helped find survivors in the rubble and became a symbol of hope amid widespread loss.

What happened?

The Christian Science Monitor reported that Tsunami is among the small number of trained search-and-rescue dogs in Venezuela, and he was deployed within minutes of the 7.2 and 7.5 quakes. He and his handler, Jorge Beens, who directs a canine disaster-response team in Caracas, went to work even though their own apartment had been damaged.

Beens said Tsunami "started finding lives within 40 minutes of the quake," and the dog has so far led rescuers to at least 26 survivors. The disaster has killed nearly 4,500 people.

Beens adopted Tsunami from abusive conditions in Caracas nine years ago and soon recognized traits he considered well suited to rescue work: confidence, playfulness, and a desire to please.

Since then, Tsunami has been part of efforts that saved more than 350 lives in landslides, floods, gas explosions, structural collapses, and the 2023 earthquake response in Turkey and Syria.

Why does it matter?

In the aftermath of a major disaster, every minute matters, and trained rescue animals can help first responders narrow where to dig, listen, and search. Tsunami's work shows the lifesaving role animals can play in communities facing sudden, large-scale emergencies.

Beens trains Tsunami through play: a person hides in debris with the dog's favorite toy, and Tsunami is rewarded after finding them and barking. In a real disaster zone, that same bark becomes a crucial signal for human rescuers.

The dog's impact has stretched beyond search operations. As Venezuelans shared photos of Tsunami and painted murals of him, he became an emotional bright spot during a national tragedy.

One commenter on a social media post about a mural wrote: "There was a tsunami alert, but it was the warning of a dog who would come to save many lives — and behind him, a sea of volunteers from Venezuela and beyond."

What's being done?

With the window for finding survivors now closed, Tsunami is stepping back from active rescue work, but not from service. He is expected to visit schools and communities around Venezuela with support from Perros Extremos, a dog-training organization that backed him during the emergency.

Donato Spinelli, co-director of Perros Extremos, told the Monitor he believes the international attention on Tsunami could become a lesson in preparedness. That could help Venezuela strengthen its emergency response capacity in a practical, visible way.

Spinelli said, "Dogs can make a difference when every minute matters."

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