Rescue dog Tsunami honored with bronze statue in Venezuela as celebrated search career ends
Tsunami, the rescue dog who searched through rubble after Venezuela's June earthquakes, has received a farewell few working dogs ever see. The border collie was honored in Maracaibo with a bronze statue, medals and a retirement tribute tied to the missions that made him widely known.
At Vereda del Lago park, officials unveiled a bronze sculpture of Tsunami and installed a plaque identifying him as "Guardián de la esperanza," which translates to guardian of hope. In the Instagram post below, the ceremony is shown as Mayor Giancarlo Di Martino recognizes the dog as a hero and presents him with the Honor Button of Merit, the Medal of Valor and the insignia of the city fire department.
The event also marked a change for Tsunami himself. His unit, K-SAR ECID, said the tribute serves as his retirement, describing him as leaving service at the height of his abilities after showing courage and giving everything in the field. His handler, Jorge Beens, attended the unveiling alongside municipal officials and members of the public.
Why Tsunami became a symbol
Tsunami is a border collie with one blue eye and one brown eye, and he is among the country's very few trained search and rescue dogs. He became especially prominent after two earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on June 24, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 just 39 seconds apart.
Tsunami and Beens entered the rubble during that response, and he was credited with helping locate dozens of people trapped beneath it. Footage of the dog moving through broken concrete spread around the world.
His service record goes beyond that disaster. It includes work during the Las Tejerías and El Castaño mudslides in 2022, as well as the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in 2023. With the statue now in place, Tsunami's working career has officially come to a close.
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