Venezuela's interim President honours 'heroes on four legs' for helping locate earthquake victims

Venezuela has recognised hundreds of emergency responders from around the world, including specially trained search-and-rescue dogs, for their role in the aftermath of the deadly earthquakes that struck the country on 24 June.

Venezuela awards medals to rescue dogs, international crews after deadly earthquakes

During a ceremony led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez, medals were presented to rescue personnel and canine teams that participated in search operations following the disaster.

Among those honoured were search-and-rescue dogs from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, whose work helped locate survivors and victims trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

The video was shared by LA Country Fire Department on their Instagram account with the caption, “Heroes on four legs. 🐕🎖️From the rubble of La Guaira to recognition — the search and rescue dogs of the #LACoFD Urban Search & Rescue Task Force (USA-2) were honored for their tireless work following Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes. These dogs worked alongside their handlers through collapsed structures and dangerous debris, searching for survivors when hope was running thin. Recognition like this reminds us that disaster response is a global effort — and sometimes the bravest first responders wear a harness instead of a badge. International solidarity, one search at a time (sic).”

According to Venezuelan authorities, a total of 478 medals were awarded to human rescuers, while 36 medals were presented to rescue dogs. The recipients represented 12 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, reflecting the scale of the international response mounted in the wake of the earthquakes.

Images and videos from the medal ceremony quickly spread across social media, where many users praised the decision to recognise both the handlers and their canine partners.

One social media user wrote, "A beautiful tribute to the international rescue teams. Those 'heroes on four legs' absolutely earned that recognition for their tireless work (sic)."

Another commented, "Well-deserved medals for some very good dogs and incredibly brave crews! 🐕🏅 (sic)"

A third user added, "Wow that's awesome we need to appreciate all our heroes not when they are no more 👏👏(sic)"

The ceremony highlighted how countries can come together in a crisis, as rescue teams from three continents were thanked for helping Venezuela after one of its most devastating earthquakes in recent years.

The powerful earthquakes, which struck Venezuela on 24 June, caused widespread destruction across affected regions, damaging homes, public infrastructure and essential services. Rescue teams from multiple countries were deployed to assist local authorities with search-and-recovery efforts, working around the clock to locate people trapped under debris.

Search-and-rescue dogs played a critical role during the emergency response. Trained to detect human scent beneath collapsed structures, the animals were used to help rescuers identify areas where survivors or victims might be located, significantly speeding up search operations in hazardous conditions.