Interim president of Venezuela praises “heroes on four legs” for helping search for earthquake victims | Today’s news
Venezuela has recognized hundreds of emergency workers from around the world, including specially trained search and rescue dogs, for their role in the aftermath of the deadly earthquakes that struck the country on June 24.
Venezuela awards medals to rescue dogs, international crews after deadly earthquakes
During a ceremony presided over by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, medals were presented to rescuers and dog teams that participated in search operations after the disaster.
Among the honorees were search and rescue dogs from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, whose work helped find survivors and victims trapped under collapsed buildings.
The video was shared by the LA Country Fire Department on its Instagram account with the caption “Heroes on four legs. 🐕🎖️From the rubble of La Guaira to recognition – search and rescuers from the #LACoFD Urban Search & Rescue Task Force (USA-2) were honored for their tireless work after the devastating Venezuelan structures that survived the collapse of the earthquake and these dogs worked to bring them down. Such hope reminds us that the response there is a global effort to respond to a disaster – and sometimes the bravest rescuers wear a harness instead of a badge of international solidarity (sic).
According to Venezuelan authorities, a total of 478 medals have been awarded to life savers and 36 medals have been awarded to first responders. Recipients represented 12 countries from across Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, reflecting the scale of the international response mounting as a result of the earthquake.
Images and videos of the medal ceremony quickly spread across social media, with many users praising the decision to recognize both the handlers and their canine partners.
One social media user wrote: “A beautiful tribute to the international rescue teams. These ‘heroes on four legs’ absolutely deserve this recognition for their tireless work (sic).”
Another commented: “Deserved medals for some very good dogs and incredibly brave crews! 🐕🏅 (sic)”
A third user added: “Wow this is amazing we have to appreciate all our heroes not when they are gone 👏👏(sic)”
The ceremony highlighted how countries can come together in a crisis, as rescue teams from three continents were thanked for helping Venezuela after one of its most devastating earthquakes in years.
The powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 caused widespread destruction in the affected regions, damaging homes, public infrastructure and essential services. Rescue teams from many countries were deployed to help local authorities with search and recovery efforts and worked around the clock to locate people trapped under the rubble.
Search and rescue dogs have played a key role during emergency response. The animals, trained to detect human scent under collapsed structures, were used to help rescuers identify areas where survivors or victims might be located, greatly speeding up search operations in dangerous conditions.
