DOG PULLED FROM VENEZUELA QUAKE RUBBLE LICKS HER RESCUER
A small Venezuela earthquake dog named Giselle was pulled alive from collapsed debris in Caraballeda on June 30, 2026, after a five-hour effort by a search-and-rescue team from El Salvador. As soon as she was free, she licked her rescuer’s face.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced the rescue in a post on X. “After 5 hours, we managed to rescue this little dog who responds to the name Giselle, in Residencial El Palmar, Caraballeda,” he wrote.
A bark from beneath the rubble
People reported that video showed barking coming from under the rubble before a team member pulled Giselle out. Onlookers cheered as she was brought into the open.
The footage then shows her thanking the person who got her out. CBS News reported that she licked her rescuer once she was free, and O Globo described the same scene, with the dog thanking her rescuer with licks.
Another clip shows a rescue-team member feeding her soft dog food with a syringe. According to People, which cited The Independent, rescuers said Giselle was in good health after she came out.
The five-hour figure was also reported by AAP News, which placed the rescue in a wider story about hopes fading of finding more survivors. CBS News and G1 reported that the building was in Caraballeda, in La Guaira state.
Bukele also asked for anyone who thought Giselle was theirs to come forward. “If anyone is her owner, they can approach our teams in the area and prove with photos or videos that she is theirs,” he wrote.
Giselle was one of many animals involved in the response. ABC News Australia reported that more than 130 rescue dogs were helping with the search.
The rescue came during the aftermath of a string of powerful earthquakes. The New York Post reported that the quakes, including magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 events, began June 24, 2026.
People reported that the second quake was believed to be the largest in Venezuela in more than a century, and that local officials said La Guaira was hit hardest. National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez announced a death toll of 1,719 at a June 29, 2026 press conference, according to People.
On August 15, 2026, ABC News Australia reported that Giselle had weakness and dehydration but no severe injuries. It also reported that rescuers were still looking for her owner.
