Concrete shifted beneath the rescuers as they cleared a path through the unstable wreckage. Inside, covered in dust and curled beside the body of his owner’s grandmother, was Beyli a dog still alive 29 days after two earthquakes brought down the building around him.
The earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on June 24. The first measured magnitude 7.2, followed 39 seconds later by a magnitude 7.5 mainshock about 14 miles southeast of Yumare, according to USGS data reported after the disaster. Destruction reached Caracas, hundreds of buildings were reportedly lost, and the eventual death toll was placed at around 5,000.
Beyli belonged to 11-year-old Victoria Isabela Rengel, who survived when her home collapsed. Her mother and grandmother died in the disaster.
Nearly four weeks later, rescue crews discovered Beyli beneath the concrete debris. The unstable surroundings meant they could not simply reach in and lift him free. They first had to open a safe route through the wreckage, then bring him out carefully.
Beyli was visibly dehydrated and underweight when he emerged. Firefighters immediately offered him water, while veterinary staff administered emergency fluids. Veterinarians later described him as stable and responsive to treatment.
Everything that has happened with him is miraculous. He has some ulcers in his eyes, but he will be fine soon, an unnamed veterinarian said.
Why the first hours of care mattered
After prolonged entrapment with little access to food or water, getting a dog out of the rubble is only the first step. Dehydration means the body has lost more water than it has taken in. As that imbalance worsens, circulation can be affected, and risks can include electrolyte disturbances, kidney injury and shock.
Emergency care depends on the animal’s condition. A dog able to drink safely may be offered water, while veterinary teams can use fluid therapy when oral intake is not adequate. The Merck Veterinary Manual’s fluid-resuscitation guidance emphasizes restoring perfusion and hydration with appropriate replacement fluids while monitoring the patient. Beyli’s immediate water and emergency fluids were therefore measures directed at the most visible danger facing him after his extraction.
Being underweight added another concern, but the available information does not establish how much weight Beyli lost or how his nutritional recovery was managed. It also does not provide test results, details about possible internal injuries or a long-term prognosis. Stability and an early response to treatment are encouraging developments, but they cannot answer every question about recovery after such prolonged confinement.
The eye ulcers likewise required veterinary attention. A corneal ulcer is an erosion of the clear tissue covering the front of the eye. Trauma and irritating material, including dust, can cause ulcers, although Beyli’s veterinarians did not identify what caused his injuries.
VCA Animal Hospitals’ guidance on canine corneal ulcers notes that affected dogs may squint, rub an eye or develop redness and discharge. Ulcers can vary considerably in depth and severity, and veterinarians generally use a special stain to identify them. Follow-up matters because some superficial injuries heal quickly, while deeper or persistent ulcers can threaten vision.
For dog owners, a red, cloudy, tightly closed or persistently irritated eye warrants prompt veterinary assessment rather than home treatment. The surface damage may not be visible without veterinary equipment, and the appropriate care depends on the depth and cause of the injury.
No further details have been provided about a reunion between Beyli and Victoria. What is known is narrower but still extraordinary: after 29 days beneath a collapsed building, Beyli reached open air alive, accepted urgent care and was considered stable while treatment continued.
His survival does not soften the scale of what Victoria lost. It leaves something quieter instead a dust-covered dog beginning to heal beside a child whose family had been irrevocably changed.
Have you ever adopted a dog with a story like this? Share it in the comments.
By Jake Patterson — Freelance feature writer and former animal-shelter volunteer focused on rescue, adoption, and second-chance dog stories.
