At home, Joey is like many other dogs.
He loves chasing a ball, spending time with his family, and enjoying a good cuddle.
But when disaster strikes, this two-year-old Labrador retriever has a very different job.
He searches through dangerous rubble, follows his training, and helps rescuers find people who may still be alive.
And during a devastating earthquake in Venezuela, Joey did something extraordinary.
He helped locate three survivors trapped beneath the debris.
Now, the hardworking rescue dog from Los Angeles County is receiving recognition for the kind of work that can change lives forever.
A Dog With a Life-Saving Mission
Joey isn’t an ordinary family pet who happened to stumble into an emergency.
He’s a specially trained search-and-rescue dog working with the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s USA-2 urban search-and-rescue task force.
These teams are trained to respond to major emergencies, including disasters in which buildings collapse and people become trapped beneath heavy debris.
Finding survivors in those conditions is incredibly challenging.
Rubble can hide people from view. Dangerous structures can limit where rescuers can safely go.
Every search requires careful coordination, specialized equipment, and the ability to locate signs of life in places humans cannot easily inspect.
That’s where dogs like Joey become invaluable.
Their extraordinary sense of smell allows them to detect human scent in environments where ordinary searching methods may not be enough.
But these abilities don’t appear overnight.
They require months of preparation, training, and a strong working relationship between a dog and its handler.
For Joey, that partnership is with Fire Captain Louis Gudiel.
Together, they prepared for the moment their skills would be needed in a real disaster.
Five Months of Training Led to One Important Call
Before Joey could be deployed on an international rescue mission, he had to prove he was ready.
Gudiel and Joey trained for more than five months before earning their certification in September 2025.
That certification marked an important milestone. The pair was officially prepared to respond when an emergency required their specialized skills.
Their training involved developing the teamwork and search abilities necessary to work in demanding environments.
For a search-and-rescue dog, the task is more complicated than simply finding a scent.
The dog must learn to search methodically, work around distractions, and communicate discoveries to the handler. The handler must understand the dog’s signals and know how to respond.
It is a partnership built on trust and practice.
Eventually, the training was put to the test.
In June, Joey and Gudiel were deployed to Venezuela following a deadly earthquake.
They arrived three days after the disaster.
By that point, rescue crews were working against the clock, searching damaged structures and piles of rubble for anyone who might have survived.
Joey was ready to get to work.
Three Lives Hidden Beneath the Rubble
The conditions following an earthquake can be devastating.
Buildings may collapse into unstable piles of concrete, metal, and other debris. Survivors can become trapped in spaces that are difficult to reach, leaving rescuers with the enormous challenge of locating them.
Joey’s mission was to help search those damaged areas.
Using his trained nose, he worked alongside Gudiel and the wider rescue operation.
And his efforts made a remarkable difference.
Joey was credited with locating three people alive beneath the rubble.
Three people who might otherwise have remained hidden from rescuers.
Three people whose discovery offered a chance for help to reach them.
For the team, the achievement represented the purpose behind countless hours of training.
Gudiel has described the satisfaction of putting that preparation to use and making a difference when a real emergency arrives.
For Joey, however, the work is simply part of what he has been trained to do.
He doesn’t understand awards or headlines. He responds to the task, works alongside his handler, and uses the abilities developed through months of practice.
That’s what makes dogs like him so remarkable.
An International Hero Who Still Loves Being a Dog
Despite his life-saving work, Joey’s personality isn’t defined entirely by emergencies.
Away from disaster zones, he enjoys playing with his ball at the park. Gudiel has shared that they usually spend about 20 minutes playing together each day.
Joey also enjoys snuggling with his family.
That softer side offers a glimpse into the dog behind the rescue work.
He can be a trained professional when the situation demands it and a playful companion when the work is done.
His presence can also provide comfort to the people around him. At the fire station, Joey helps bring a little warmth to the daily lives of first responders who regularly face difficult situations.
His work has now earned him recognition as a semifinalist in the Hero Dog Awards.
It’s an honor that shines a spotlight not only on Joey, but also on the dedication of the handlers, firefighters, and rescue teams who make these missions possible.
The Difference One Dog Can Make
Joey’s story is a reminder that dogs contribute to our lives in ways that go far beyond companionship.
Some comfort us when we’re having a difficult day. Others help people with disabilities, assist law enforcement, or search for missing people.
And some, like Joey, travel thousands of miles to help strangers facing the worst moments of their lives.
Behind every successful rescue dog is a remarkable combination of natural ability, patient training, and trust between canine and human.
Joey may spend his free time chasing a ball and curling up with his family, but when people need help, he has a much bigger purpose.
Three survivors were found beneath earthquake rubble because he did what he was trained to do.
And for the people whose lives were touched by that mission, Joey’s contribution is far more meaningful than any award.
He’s a reminder that sometimes, a dog’s greatest gift isn’t simply the love he gives the people closest to him.
It’s the lives he helps save—even when those people are complete strangers.
