CARABALLEDA, Venezuela — Nearly five days after powerful earthquakes tore through northern Venezuela, hope of finding survivors beneath collapsed buildings was fading. But inside the shattered remains of Residencial El Palmar in the coastal community of Caraballeda, rescuers heard evidence that something was still alive. Buried beneath concrete and debris was a small dog named Giselle.
The earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, leaving widespread destruction across the country and hitting La Guaira state especially hard. Search-and-rescue teams continued working through damaged structures in the days afterward, including specialists sent from El Salvador to assist local emergency crews. Their work at Residencial El Palmar would eventually produce one of the disaster’s most emotional animal rescues.
Giselle had been trapped for approximately five days when the Salvadoran team located her beneath the wreckage. Video from the operation captured barking coming from a narrow opening surrounded by broken concrete, confirming that the little dog had somehow survived days inside the collapsed structure. Reaching her, however, was far more complicated than simply pulling her through the opening.
The unstable debris meant rescuers had to work carefully to avoid triggering another collapse. For roughly five hours, the team slowly cleared a path through the wreckage until there was enough room to reach Giselle safely. Reports from the scene said rescuers also provided water as they worked to free the exhausted animal.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for. A rescuer reached into the opening and finally brought Giselle out into daylight, holding the dusty little dog against his chest while people nearby celebrated. After days surrounded by darkness and debris, Giselle was finally safe.
But what happened immediately afterward transformed the rescue from another survival story into a moment that quickly traveled around the world.
Instead of shrinking away from the unfamiliar people surrounding her, Giselle turned toward the man holding her and repeatedly licked his face. Video showed her pressing against the rescuer as he cradled her, appearing remarkably affectionate despite everything she had endured. The spontaneous display prompted an emotional response from the team around them and later from viewers online.
The footage was subsequently shared by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who identified the dog as Giselle and confirmed that the operation to free her had taken five hours. Bukele also issued a public appeal to locate her family, asking anyone claiming ownership to approach rescue personnel with photographs or videos demonstrating that Giselle belonged to them.
After her rescue, Giselle was hydrated and examined. Video showed someone giving her fluids through a syringe, while reports described her as having emerged without serious visible injuries despite spending days beneath the building. Her ability to survive for so long added another remarkable chapter to the search operations taking place across the earthquake zone.
Giselle was not the only animal discovered alive. Salvadoran crews also rescued other dogs from earthquake debris as teams continued searching damaged neighborhoods for both human and animal survivors. Each discovery provided a rare moment of relief amid scenes otherwise dominated by destroyed homes and families searching for loved ones.
For the rescuers at Residencial El Palmar, Giselle’s survival came after hours of painstaking work and days after the earthquakes had brought the building down around her. They entered the ruins searching for signs of life and eventually found one hidden beneath the concrete.
Five days after disappearing into the rubble, Giselle was carried back into daylight. And in the first moments after being freed, the little dog didn’t run away.
She reached for the person holding her and covered his face with kisses.
