Meet Joey: The 2-year-old Los Angeles rescue dog credited with finding 3 people alive beneath earthquake rubble is now up for a national hero award
When disaster strikes, concrete dust and debris cover everything in sight, and finding someone alive can seem an almost impossible task. That impossible task is what Joey, a 2-year-old Labrador Retriever with a nose for the impossible and months of specialized training, was trained to do.The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s search-and-rescue K-9 has already proven himself a valuable addition to the team, helping to find three people alive in earthquake debris. Now the young dog is receiving national recognition as a semifinalist in the American Humane Society’s 16th annual Hero Dog Awards, states an online report by abc7.
From practice to reality
According to the report, Joey is employed by the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, USA-2, Los Angeles County Fire Department. He and his handler, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Louis Gudiel, trained together for more than five months before passing their certification in September 2025. The tough training made the duo mission-ready for deployments wherever their skills were required. For Joey, it meant learning to search unstable disaster sites and to detect people who might be buried in the rubble of collapsed structures. His first big overseas deployment came in June, when he and Gudiel went to Venezuela in the wake of a deadly earthquake.
Three lives discovered under rubble
The team arrived three days after the earthquake, when hopes of finding survivors were already racing against the clock. Joey went to work on the rubble, using his highly developed detection abilities to search areas where people could be trapped and difficult to reach. He found three survivors alive under the rubble during the mission, informs the online report.The discovery underlined the importance of specially trained K-9 teams in the event of major disasters. Dogs like Joey can search big, dangerous areas much faster and more effectively than human rescuers working by themselves, giving trapped victims a vital chance of being found.
Hero even off duty
Joey’s work doesn’t stop once the rescue gear is off. The Labrador is now back at his station in Los Angeles, where he provides comfort to firefighters and other first responders. Off the rubble, Joey is much like any other young dog. He shows a softer side to the K-9 who has worked in some of the roughest conditions in the world, enjoying playing his ball at the park and spending time with his family.Now, his rescue work has landed him a spot as a semifinalist for the Hero Dog Awards, drawing national attention to a young Labrador whose nose, training, and determination have already saved lives.
