A statue honouring Tsunami, the search-and-rescue dog credited with helping locate at least 26 survivors of Venezuela’s June 2026 earthquakes, was unveiled on September 17 at Vereda del Lago park in Maracaibo.

The 9-year-old Border Collie stood beside his own likeness at the ceremony, seemingly unaware of the honour. Tsunami searched through collapsed buildings in Caracas and La Guaira after the June 24 earthquakes, alerting handler Jorge Beens to people trapped beneath the rubble.

Tsunami’s own story began with a rescue. Found living in poor conditions as a puppy in 2017, he was taken in by Beens, founder of a canine disaster-response organisation. He later deployed to the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquakes and the 2022 Las Tejerias mudslides in Venezuela.

Beens says the Venezuela earthquake response was Tsunami’s final mission, and the veteran dog will now retire. The statue will remain as a reminder of the rescued puppy who spent his career returning the favour.