Venezuelan earthquake survivors search for missing pets at ‘Hospital McDonald’s’

Venezuelan earthquake survivors search for missing pets at ‘Hospital McDonald’s’ 0 seconds of 48 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up 'SOS Venezuela' projected on Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio 00:59 00:00 00:48 00:48 More Videos 00:59 'SOS Venezuela' projected on Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio 00:42 Venezuela's acting president defends government response to double earthquake 00:59 UN's World Food Programme distributes food to quake victims in Venezuela 01:03 Children found in ‘deplorable’ Ohio home were part of same family 00:50 Bone found in a drawer turns out to be a dinosaur from Antarctica 00:53 Fans cheer as U.S. beats Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 to keep its World Cup dreams alive 00:58 Rare copy of Declaration of Independence found by UK National Archives in papers of captured US ship 00:34 Dog fans join World Cup fever in Argentina before key match against Cape Verde Close 1 of 6 | A 6-year-old dog named Buddy was pulled alive on Thursday, after spending eight agonizing days trapped beneath his collapsed home in the Venezuelan city of Caraballeda (AP Video shot by Fernanda Pesce, Matias Delacroix and Miguel Malliotakis). 2 of 6 | Gabriela Alves pets her dog, which she found alive a week after the earthquakes, at a McDonald’s restaurant being used as a temporary health center and pet reunification center in La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) 3 of 6 | A volunteer holds a dog receiving treatment at a McDonald’s restaurant being used as a temporary health center and pet reunification center after the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) 4 of 6 | A McDonald’s restaurant is being used as a temporary health center and pet reunification center after the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) 5 of 6 | A man connected to an IV eats a hamburger at a McDonald’s restaurant being used as a temporary health center and pet reunification center after the earthquakes that struck La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) 6 of 6 | Gabriela Alves pets her dog, which she found alive a week after the earthquakes, at a McDonald’s restaurant being used as a temporary health center and pet reunification center in La Guaira, Venezuela, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) By Matias Delacroix and MEGAN JANETSKY Updated 3:21 PM MESZ, July 3, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Caraballeda, Venezuela (AP) — Hope came in the strangest of places: A Venezuelan restaurant that has come to be known as “Hospital McDonald’s.” Gabriela Alves found herself embracing her 6-year-old dog Buddy on Thursday in the fast-food outlet after a week of searching for the white pup that went missing when two earthquakes devastated the South American nation on June 24. The restaurant, next to the ruins of collapsed state housing complexes, has become a de facto hospital for earthquake victims, as well as a center for locating and treating missing pets in the seaside city of Caraballeda, which was devastated by the natural disaster. “This is a miracle,” Alves said, arms wrapped around the dog with an IV in one of his legs on a table next to restaurant workers selling soft-serve ice cream. “We’ve lost everything material, but at least we’re both alive.” The makeshift hospital was born one day after the back-to-back earthquakes killed at least than 2,295 people and wounded 11,000, according to Venezuelan officials. Many more families were left scrambling to find their missing loved ones, including cats and dogs lost in the rubble. Venice mayor proposes dynamic pricing for day-trippers with 50-euro ceiling 3 MIN READ NATO commander says Europe has backfilled most gaps from US cutbacks on military equipment 2 MIN READ Photos of pets and farm animals rescued from the war in southern Lebanon 1 MIN READ Angel Matute and 70 other veterinarians, students, doctors and civilian volunteers traveled from the western city of Barquisimeto. The team was looking for a place to sleep, store equipment and shelter from heavy tropical rain when they found one of the only operational facilities within the chaos: The Golden Arches. They set up shop in the restaurant, which still had running air-conditioning, and began distributing medical supplies and treating human patients while also becoming a place for treating injured pets and seeking dogs and cats that were still missing. “For us, a pet is one more human life,” said Matute, who coordinates rescue efforts in the McDonald’s where the volunteers also sleep. “There are animals that are more human than humans themselves.” Matute was among dozens of bustling volunteers on Thursday treating dogs and cats alongside search teams ordering hamburgers and french fries. His group, which has rescued 140 animals and treated 60 more, plans to continue reuniting owners with missing pets until their assistance is no longer needed. Alves turned to Hospital McDonald’s when she was desperately searching for her beloved dog. Alves was at a family member’s house when the quakes shook northern Venezuela. Hours later, she jumped on her motorcycle and frantically rushed to her home to save Buddy, but all she found were ruins. The 36-year-old Venezuelan said she heard the McDonald’s had become a place to look for lost pets and began making daily laps. She would swing by the restaurant to check if the volunteers had found any white dogs before returning home to yell, “Buddy, Buddy,” hoping to hear a bark. For more than a week, she was met with silence. “We’re all living one day at a time,” she said Thursday. “Today, I returned and I truly can tell you I had lost all hope.” She persisted, though, and picked through the ruins, pulling clothes from her mother’s room, the only area of the home still accessible. Then she heard a distant bark, looked down and saw Buddy’s white ear through a crack in the concrete. Alves screamed for help and nearby rescuers ran to her. They broke a hole in the wall and pulled the dust-covered dog from the debris. Alves sobbed as she cradled Buddy, swaddled in a pink blanket and licking her arm. Hours later, veterinarians at Hospital McDonald’s checked Buddy for injuries after eight days trapped in the rubble. “Right now, with all the tragedy of the earthquake, it’s one positive thing in all the bad,” Alves said, still embracing her dog. “He’s like my doggie Band-Aid.” Matias Delacroix Delacroix is a Chilean-raised photojournalist currently based in Panama. With a focus on migration, social unrest, and humanitarian crises, he has covered key events across Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. twitter instagram facebook mailto MEGAN JANETSKY Megan Janetsky covers migration, conflict, human rights and politics in Mexico and Central America for The AP based in Mexico City. Previously, she covered Cuba and the Caribbean for The AP and worked as freelance journalist in Colombia, reporting across South America. twitter instagram facebook mailto