A dog once found wandering the streets as a stray is now searching collapsed buildings in Venezuela for earthquake survivors, after starting her journey at a Truckee animal shelter.

Greta arrived at the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe as a stray in 2024 and has since become a certified disaster search dog with the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, according to the Tahoe Daily Tribune.

She deployed to Venezuela on June 25 alongside her handler, Arby Fields, following back-to-back 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that killed hundreds of people and left thousands more missing.

HSTT staff first noticed Greta’s potential while she was still in their care.

“Our staff quickly noticed her friendly personality, unwavering confidence, and one undeniable obsession, tennis balls,” said Steph Nistler, CEO of the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe.

Those traits caught the attention of a Search Dog Foundation volunteer after HSTT posted about Greta on Facebook, leading to her acceptance into the foundation’s training program.

Greta graduated from search training in May 2024 and was paired with Fields, a California Task Force 2 firefighter and former professional baseball player for the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners, that June.

The pair earned FEMA certification in February 2025, qualifying them to deploy on disasters throughout the United States and internationally as part of search team USA-2.

The Venezuela earthquakes marked their first international deployment together.

We’ve covered other Nevada shelter dogs finding remarkable second chapters this year, including a Reno golden retriever’s return home after 72 days lost near Lake Tahoe.

Nistler said Greta’s path from shelter kennel to search team reflects why every stray deserves a chance.

“Sometimes, the dog waiting quietly in a shelter kennel isn’t just waiting for a home,” Nistler said. “Sometimes, they’re waiting to become a hero.”

The Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe has asked its community to keep Greta, Fields, and all deployed search teams in their thoughts as recovery efforts in Venezuela continue.