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Milo, a mixed-breed street dog rescued from the streets of Caracas, has become one of the symbols of hope following the devastating earthquakes that shook northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026, by participating in the search and rescue efforts among the rubble without ever having received formal training as a rescue animal.
Her owner, Coromoto, a seller of avocados, bananas, and eggs in the La Candelaria neighborhood, in the heart of Caracas, experienced the earthquake firsthand from her stall.
"The table is lifted for me because that street resembles a wave, it created some ripples, I see that everyone starts to rush down from the buildings," he recounted.
After ensuring that his dogs were safe, Coromoto saw a post on his WhatsApp statuses asking for rescue animals and made a decision that few would have considered.
"I see a post on my WhatsApp status about a request for rescue dogs," she said.
He then remembered that Milo, during a vacation trip, had found a lost child, earning the reputation among the neighbors as "the little dog that saved the children."
Coromoto recorded on his phone the arrival at the rescue point, introduced the animal to the emergency teams, and the result was unexpected: Milo passed the aptitude test and was accepted to work.
“She passed the little test they gave her. She was accepted,” said her owner, who described the dog as “trained by life because I haven't received any type of training.”
In his first shift, Milo worked almost six consecutive hours among the rubble and made three discoveries of survivors, a figure that surprised even the professional rescuers themselves.
At the end of the day, he was exhausted, but witnesses described that as he passed through the devastated areas again, he wagged his tail as if eager to keep going.
A rescuer present at the operations summarized the significance of the animal's presence as follows: "It's a sign that hope, that God gives us hope, sometimes just with a light, with an animal, a pet, a person."
The experts asked Coromoto to let Milo rest before he was called back again.
The story of this dog without pedigree or certifications unfolds against the backdrop of a disaster of historic proportions: the two earthquakes on June 24, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, occurring just 39 seconds apart, were the strongest recorded in Venezuela since 1900.
As of July 1, the official tally had reached 2,295 deceased, over 11,267 injured, and 12,841 affected, while the UN estimated up to 50,000 missing and NASA reported nearly 58,870 buildings damaged or destroyed.
More than 30 countries provided assistance, with 2,624 international rescuers and 137 trained rescue dogs deployed in the affected areas.
Among so many animals with certifications and years of training, it was a street mixed breed from Caracas, guided solely by his sense of smell and the love of his owner, who also left her mark in the rubble.
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