Pet Reunifications Bring Hope in Venezuela’s Post-Earthquake Recovery

As Venezuela mourns its losses, clears debris from collapsed buildings, and begins its long recovery from last month’s devastating earthquakes, another consequence has emerged: pets left injured, orphaned, or separated from their owners.

Volunteers are working to reunite cats and dogs with families who have already lost relatives, homes, and nearly everything else. Others are caring for pets of deceased or displaced owners, or assisting families unable to afford animal care.

“While rescue efforts focused on people, many survivors have pets but lack the resources to feed them,” said Nieves Peña, director of Mi Primer Rescate, an animal rescue organization.

In La Guaira, the coastal state most severely affected, Peña described the devastation: “Everything is closed, everything is destroyed. There’s nowhere to buy dog food.”

Based in Valencia, the organization deployed the day after the June 24 earthquakes to treat injured animals, distribute pet food, and establish foster networks while searching for owners.

While survivors grapple with trauma and displacement, pets also struggle. “Stress affects animals’ immune systems, increasing vulnerability to diseases,” Peña noted.

Veterinarian Dr. Ludeimar Rosendo, volunteering at a makeshift clinic in La Guaira’s McDonald’s, treated or operated on approximately 700 animals since the quake, receiving 20 to 30 new cases daily.

Reunions often come after prolonged uncertainty. When earthquakes struck, Osdalys Santana, her husband, and teenage son were returning from a beach food stand, while their two children and two dogs stayed home on the eighth floor of an apartment. Though the children were rescued, the dogs vanished.

Santana feared for Luna, their gentle pinscher mix who was terrified of loud noises and rarely ventured outdoors. A beloved family pet, Luna had even climbed onto a chair to eat at the dinner table.

Initially believing Luna lost, volunteers discovered her in rubble and placed her with a foster family. Santana, hospitalized in Caracas with her son’s leg injury, posted photos online. Someone recognized Luna and facilitated their reunion.

“Ever since Luna came into our lives, she’s been like another daughter,” Santana said. “With my children, it’s something else—it’s special. Thank God, we’re so happy to have her back.”

Santana’s other dog, Canela, remains missing. “I have faith she’ll return to us,” she said.

In a remarkable turn, a family’s dog, Toby, aided in rescuing an 11-year-old boy trapped for 78 hours. Despite injuries, Toby repeatedly returned to debris where residents heard faint sounds. Rescuers found the boy alive. Toby was reunited with his family through social media posts by his aunt, María Sandoval.

“Toby was truly the one who saved his owner,” Sandoval said. “He’s why we suspected someone was alive in the rubble.”

For Andrea Villasana, a physiotherapist volunteering in La Guaira, rescuing a frightened puppy restored hope amid despair. After capturing the dog darting through damaged streets, residents gathered, feeding her and sharing moments of connection. “It changed everyone’s expressions,” Villasana said. “We were smiling despite everything.”

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