Puppy love! Statue honouring brave dog named Tsunami who helped rescue trapped victims after Venezuela earthquake is unveiled
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By SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
A dog who helped rescue trapped victims in the devastating earthquake in Venezuela this summer has been commemorated with a statue.
Tsunami, the nine-year-old Border Collie rescue dog, saved 26 people in La Guarria with his handler Jorge Beens by searching through the extensive rubble that trapped thousands of Venezuelans after the horrific earthquake.
Earlier this month, a bronze statue was unveiled of him in Maracaibo, which showed him donning a rescue hat and even featured his distinctive singular blue eye, caused by heterochromia.
Immortalised as the 'Guardian of Hope' on his plinth, emotional locals wept as the statue was revealed, with Tsunami sat at his own bronze paws as the crowd celebrated.
The Mayor went on to award the pooch a Medal of Honour for Merit and a mural has been painted too.
The apocalyptic 7.2 and 7.5 earthquake struck the country in June, causing more than 6,500 people to lose their life, 856 buildings to be damaged and 190 properties to collapse completely.
The number of injured or hospitalised was around 226,700 people and extensive rescue searches were carried out for the missing in the first week following the earthquake, of which Tsunami assisted in uncovering survivors.
Trained dogs can smell human scent up to 10m beneath debris and will guide its handler to strongest point from which it is coming from.
Tsunami, the nine-year-old Border Collie rescue dog, saved 26 people in La Guarria after the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela
A bronze statue was unveiled of him in Maracaibo to commemorate his work in rescuing survivors, where he was given the title of 'Guardian of Hope'
Instead of digging, which could disrupt the rubble and further entrap the survivor, the dog barks to alert the handler, for which they will receive a treat.
Tsunami became a disaster response specialist after he was rescued himself from the streets of Caracas as an emaciated puppy who struggled to walk, bark and play.
Once recovered, his handler noticed his intelligence and work ethic and enrolled him at his specialised urban search-and-rescue organisation in Venezuela, K-SAR ECID Disaster Canine Training Center.
There, he underwent the extensive training required to be able to uncover missing people trapped under rubble.
Aside from his work in Venezuela, the pooch is said to have worked in other natural disasters that took place in Syria and Turkey.
Tsunami is now set to retire from his role as disaster response specialist following his impressive final stint in Venezuela.
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