Rescue dogs in Venezuela: a pit bull mix, a ball and a 40 hour trip

When two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5, struck northern Venezuela on 24 June 2026, rescue dogs from around a dozen countries went into the rubble of La Guaira. According to AFP, more than 120 dogs worked in the coastal region. Among them were Labradors from Florida, a border collie that had once been abused, and a six year old Spanish pit bull mix called Nala. Their stories, reported by Spanish and Latin American media, show how much this work depends on trust, motivation and good training.

Nala, the firefighter from Alicante

Nala belongs to the canine unit of the Alicante city firefighters. As the EFE agency reported, her handler is firefighter Rafa Arnau, and she travelled to Venezuela with a seven member volunteer team from the GEA organisation, which included firefighters, a nurse and civil protection specialists. The journey took almost 40 hours. Nala is trained to search for people over large areas and in collapsed buildings. This was her first earthquake, although she had searched for missing people before.

One detail from the first day stands out. After the long trip, Nala was clearly tired, so Arnau hid a team member for her to find. After that small success she became far more active. Every trainer knows the trick: when a dog is exhausted or unsettled by a new place, an easy win restores confidence and the will to work.

Training through play and a favourite ball

Arnau explains that canine units learn through play and positive reinforcement. Nala was taught to search for people with the help of her favourite ball: finding a person means a reward and a game. The team also carried vibraphones, devices that pick up sounds under rubble, but a dog's nose remains irreplaceable.

AFP described how it works in practice. Dogs find people by body odour, warmth and the carbon dioxide they exhale. When one dog marks a spot, a second dog is sent to confirm, and only then do rescuers use radar and cameras to pinpoint the person. Teams worked 12 hour shifts, and the dogs faced dehydration, heat, injuries and stress.

Tsunami, Sisu and Piper

The dog that drew the most attention was Tsunami, a border collie with one blue eye and one brown eye. According to AFP, he had been rescued from abuse and went on to help save lives. Sisu, a Labrador from the Florida Task Force 2 team, was on her first mission with handler Sylvia Arango, a canine guide since 1998. After days in the heat, Sisu had abrasions on her neck. Her teammate Piper, also on her first mission, helped rescue two people.

The American team was mostly Labrador retrievers, alongside border collies, golden retrievers, Belgian Malinois and German shepherds. The Spanish team received the "Heroes of Venezuela" award from Foreign Minister Yván Gil.

What it means for dog owners in Serbia

The first lesson is simple: a great working dog does not have to be the "right" breed. Nala is a pit bull mix, a type of dog that faces plenty of prejudice in Serbia, and Tsunami survived abuse. What makes them successful is motivation, health and patient work with a handler.

The second lesson is about how dogs learn. None of these dogs was trained through fear. Play, a ball and the joy of the find keep them going even when they are tired. You can use the same principle at home:

• hide a toy or a treat in your flat and let your dog find it by scent;
• start easy, then gradually make the hiding places harder;
• always end a session with a success, just as Arnau did on day one in Venezuela;
• watch the heat and offer water, because even the toughest dogs dehydrate quickly.

Scent games like these tire a dog more than a long walk, reduce boredom and strengthen the bond with the owner. If you want to build them into a proper routine, a trainer can help you design a plan for your dog.

Rescue dogs: heroes who rely on trust

Behind every rescue dog is a person the dog trusts. Arnau summed it up by saying that where the dog does not bark, there is no life: the dog gives the signal, and the handler has to read it. That understanding, built over thousands of hours of play and training, made the difference in the ruins of La Guaira.

Sources: Última Hora (EFE), Nala, la perrita bombera española que busca sobrevivientes bajo los escombros en Venezuela (Spanish), El Colombiano (AFP), Así ha sido el trabajo de los perros rescatistas tras los sismos en Venezuela (Spanish)

Photo: DFID - UK Department for International Development, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons