Claim: A golden retriever, Max protected a boy named Mateo during the Venezuela earthquakes on 24 June, 2026.
Conclusion: The claim is false. Major earthquakes struck Venezuela on 24, June 2026 and genuine search-and-rescue dogs were involved in relief efforts. However, the story of a boy named Mateo being saved by a golden retriever named Max is unverified and the image shared with the claim is AI-generated.
Rating: False 
Several social media users have claimed that a golden retriever named Max protected a boy named Mateo during the recent Venezuelan earthquakes. Instagram user “timballard89” shared one such post with a caption that states: “Amid the rubble of an earthquake, little Mateo lay trapped in the darkness. By his side, Max, his loyal Golden Retriever, never moved an inch. Wrapping his warm body around the boy, he protected him from the cold and the fear as the world around them seemed to have fallen apart.”
The post is accompanied by an image that appears to show a golden retriever shielding a sleeping baby boy lying amid the earthquake rubble. View the post below –
Other users have shared similar claims that can be seen here
During the recent earthquakes in Venezuela, young Mateo was reportedly trapped beneath the rubble in complete darkness. His faithful Golden Retriever, Max, stayed right by his side without moving an inch. He wrapped his warm body around the child, shielding him from the cold and… pic.twitter.com/9xprhUNpCw
— The Husky (@Mr_Husky1) July 15, 2026
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found it to be false. Venezuela experienced major earthquakes on 24th June, 2026 and trained search-and-rescue dogs played an important role in rescue operations. However, there is no credible evidence to support the story of a boy named Mateo being protected by a golden retriever named Max and the image shared in the claim is AI generated.
Details:
The 2026 Venezuelan earthquakes are a real incident where twin earthquakes (M7.2 foreshock followed 39 seconds later by M7.5 mainshock) hit northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026. According to a BBC report, these earthquakes caused the “deaths of at least 2,600 people and left thousands more injured.” The report further states that “estimated 80% of buildings – about 58,870 – were likely to have been damaged or destroyed in the affected region.” View a screenshot from the report below –
Following this, we conducted a web search to learn about search dogs and their involvement in the rescue operations. According to a CNN report, search-and-rescue dogs from more than 20 countries were deployed after the Venezuelan earthquakes, where they became “a crucial part of the effort” to locate survivors beneath collapsed buildings. The report states that the dogs were “squeezing into tight spaces beyond the reach of human handlers.”
The above report highlights many dogs, one of them named Tsunami, who “managed to save 25 people from the rubble.” It also mentions another search dog, Rambo, whose “training, discipline and search capabilities” made him a key member of the rescue operations. However, nowhere in the report is there any mention of a golden retriever named Max protecting a boy named Mateo, as claimed in the viral post.
Another report published by The Indian Express discusses the rescue of a dog during the Venezuelan earthquake. The report states that firefighters “heard a faint bark coming from beneath the rubble” and immediately began a rescue operation. However, the report makes no mention of the dog’s name being Max or of it protecting or rescuing a boy named Mateo.
DigitEYE found no credible reports or news articles from any reliable source about a search-and-rescue dog named Max in connection with the Venezuelan earthquakes. Lastly, we downloaded the image shared in the post and ran it through Zero GPT’s AI detector to check its authenticity. The results proved that the image is fake and likely generated using AI. View a screenshot of the results –
Thus, the claim is false.
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