A bronze statue now stands in Venezuela honoring a Border Collie whose nose and training led him to more than two dozen survivors of this year’s earthquakes, according to reporting by Pet Helpful and the Colombian magazine Semana.
The dog, an 8-year-old named Tsunami, worked alongside his handler Jorge Beens in what was described as his last rescue mission before retirement. Together the pair located and rescued at least 26 people after the quakes struck the country earlier this year. Both attended the unveiling ceremony, where they were celebrated by a community still recovering from the disaster.
Video of the event circulated widely online, drawing messages of appreciation for the dog’s service. One commenter, @kaylaxgallo, asked approvingly whether the dog himself had been present for the ceremony, while another, @paradiseonearth3312, wrote that the tribute was “exactly as it should be,” adding that animals “need to be recognized for their hard work and dedication too.”
From abuse survivor to search-and-rescue specialist
Tsunami’s path to the statue was anything but straightforward. Beens, founder and director of the Venezuelan canine search and rescue organization K-Sar Ecid, told Semana in June that the dog endured severe hardship early in life. Years ago, Tsunami was rescued from an abusive household, then received veterinary care and went through a recovery process for the abuse he had suffered.
Only after that recovery did he begin the specialized training that would prepare him for search and rescue operations. According to Semana, the dog over time “demonstrated outstanding abilities to detect people and work in complex situations.”
Those abilities were put to use in the wreckage of collapsed buildings, where his sense of smell and training allowed him to inspect hard-to-reach spaces where survivors might be trapped.
Semana framed Tsunami’s story as a broader argument about animal welfare, noting that his history “has also allowed us to reflect on the importance of the adoption and recovery of animals that are victims of abuse.” The magazine observed that “what was once a vulnerable dog in need of help, today has become an example of the positive impact that the care, patience and commitment of those who work for animal welfare can have.”
A tribute that goes beyond one dog
The statue places Tsunami alongside the small group of disaster-search animals whose work has been formally memorialized by the communities they served. For K-Sar Ecid, the tribute also spotlights the less visible labor behind rescue operations — the handlers, trainers and veterinarians who prepare dogs for conditions that are difficult to simulate.
For Beens, the ceremony marked both a professional milestone and a personal one: the same dog he helped rehabilitate had just completed his most demanding deployment, then retired with a permanent monument in his honor.
Reporting on the unveiling was attributed by Breitbart News to Katherine Hamilton, with Christian K. Caruzo contributing to the story.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/local/2026/09/22/watch-statue-unveiled-hero-border-collie-that-rescued-26-people-venezuela-earthquake/