Animals & Environment
Four-Legged Heroes: Dog Squad Saves Lives in Venezuela
15 Jul 2026
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Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) Brave rescue dogs with special skills help find survivors in Venezuela
b) Robots are used to rebuild broken houses after a large storm
c) Wild cats are rescued from a deep cave by scientists
Ask:
(1) Do you like dogs and what special things can they do?
(2) How can animals help humans during an emergency?
VOCABULARY
Rescue
verb
Rubble
noun
Brave
adjective
Clever
adjective
Scent
noun
Team
noun
To save someone or something from a dangerous situation.
Example: The firefighters rescue people from burning buildings.
Broken pieces of rock or brick left when a building is destroyed.
Example: The workers cleared the rubble from the old street.
Showing courage and not being afraid of danger.
Example: A brave police officer stopped the bad traffic accident.
Quick to learn and very smart.
Example: My clever dog can open the back door by himself.
A distinctive smell that animals can follow.
Example: The hound followed the scent of the rabbit through the grass.
A group of individuals working together for one goal.
Example: Our football team won the final match yesterday.
Many brave dogs are helping people in Venezuela. Recently, two big earthquakes happened there. Many buildings collapsed and turned into piles of rubble. First responders travelled from different countries to help. More than one hundred clever dogs came too. These special dogs work in a team with their human handlers. They use their amazing sense of scent to find survivors under the broken walls. One special border collie is named Tsunami. He is a famous hero because he saved twenty-five people from the disaster. He has one blue eye and one brown eye. Tsunami worked very hard in the hot weather. Now, he is finished with his final mission and will retire. The government gave these wonderful dogs medals to say thank you. They are true four-legged heroes who save many lives.
Listen
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What kind of animal is Tsunami and why is he special?
2. Why do you think dogs are better at finding people under buildings than humans?
3. How many people did Tsunami save during his work in Venezuela?
4. What did the government give to the rescue dogs to thank them?
5. Why is Tsunami going to retire now?
6. Would you like to have a hero dog like Tsunami as a pet at home?
FILL IN THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: brave, rubble, team, scent
Many _______(1) dogs are helping people in Venezuela. Recently, two big earthquakes happened there. Many buildings collapsed and turned into piles of _______(2). First responders travelled from different countries to help. More than one hundred clever dogs came too. These special dogs work in a _______(3) with their human handlers. They use their amazing sense of _______(4) to find survivors under the broken walls. One special border collie is named Tsunami. He is a famous hero because he saved twenty-five people from the disaster. He has one blue eye and one brown eye. Tsunami worked very hard in the hot weather. Now, he is finished with his final mission and will retire. The government gave these wonderful dogs medals to say thank you. They are true four-legged heroes who save many lives.
Section 2: Main Idea
What is the main idea of this story?
a) Earthquakes are very scary and damage many towns
b) Special rescue dogs are helping find people after earthquakes in Venezuela
c) A border collie named Tsunami is learning how to swim in a river
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
1. Two big earthquakes happened in Venezuela. T/F
2. Tsunami the border collie saved fifty people from the rubble. T/F
3 The rescue dogs received medals from the government. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Put these events in the correct order from 1 to 3:
a) The Venezuelan government gave medals to the rescue dogs to thank them
b) Two big earthquakes happened in Venezuela and buildings collapsed
c) Clever rescue dogs used their sense of scent to find survivors under the rubble
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. Rescue
2. Rubble
3. Brave
4. Scent
a) broken pieces of rock or brick left when a building is destroyed
b) a distinctive smell that animals can follow
c) to save someone or something from a dangerous situation
d) showing courage and not being afraid of danger
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
Choose the best word to complete the question:
1.How do you think a dog learns to be so _______(1) during a scary disaster?
a) brave b) soft c) slow
2. Would you like to work in a rescue _______(2) with a clever animal helper?
a) glass b) team c) paper
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
Unscramble the sentences by placing the parts in the correct order:
1. A) dogs B) help C) people D) brave E) in Venezuela
2. A) Tsunami B) twenty-five C) survivors D) saved E) from the rubble
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up Answer: a
Section 1: (1) brave (2) rubble (3) team (4) scent
Section 2: b
Section 3: True, False, True
Section 4: 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Section 5: 1-c, 2-a, 3-d, 4-b
Section 6: 1-a, 2-b
Section 7:
Sentence 1: D, A, B, C, E (Brave dogs help people in Venezuela.)
Sentence 2: A, D, B, C, E (Tsunami saved twenty-five survivors from the rubble.)
Section 8:
Tsunami is a mixed-breed border collie with one blue eye and one brown eye who is a rescue dog.
Dogs have an amazing sense of smell or scent that lets them find people.
He saved twenty-five people.
The government gave them medals.
He is older and has completed his final mission.
Student's own answer.