Venezuelan Rescue Team Discovers Dog Alive After 29 Days Trapped in Earthquake Rubble

Rescue workers operating heavy machinery in the coastal Venezuelan city of Catia La Mar detected unexpected movement beneath apartment building wreckage on July 23. After carefully excavating by hand, the team uncovered a 2-year-old French poodle named Beyli, who had survived nearly a month trapped in the debris alongside the body of his owner, 44-year-old Ismely Omaira Guillén Cortesía.

The dog surfaced 29 days after twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck on June 24, devastating the 14-story residential structure in Catia La Mar’s Páez community. Guillén’s 11-year-old daughter, Victoria Isabella Rengel, was visiting a relative when the quakes destroyed the apartment where she lived with her mother. Victoria also lost her maternal grandmother in the disaster and joined thousands of newly displaced residents.

A veterinarian in Playa Grande examined Beyli and determined he was severely dehydrated with ulcers affecting both eyes, yet his prognosis remained positive with appropriate treatment. Medical staff noted the animal showed signs of malnutrition but remained stable for recovery. The poodle had additionally survived a fire that erupted in the aftermath of the earthquakes and the constant movement of rescue machinery operating throughout the disaster zone.

Victoria described the discovery as divine intervention. “Because it is a miracle from God; I never thought he could be alive,” she told rescuers, emphasizing her pet’s strong bond with her deceased mother and expressing gratitude that at least Beyli had been returned to her.