Zeva, a Black Lab mix rescued from a shelter four years ago, is usually a fairly quiet dog.
But the night of May 24, as floodwater rushed into her home on the Blanco River in Wimberley, Texas, Zeva wouldn’t stop barking.
“She had a penetrating bark. Enough to wake me up, and the water was already three feet,” her dog dad, who only wanted to be identified by his first name, John, told FOX 7 News. “In another 10 minutes, it was another four feet.”
John, Zeva and a friend climbed up to the attic. The water was soon reaching the second story of the house.
“You’d look down and see big tree trunks coming through here, furniture, everything, and it was just roaring,” John told FOX 7.
The Blanco River rose 40 feet that night, sweeping away 12 people. Among them were three members of the McComb family, whose dog was found alive in a tree.
After six hours, a rescue crew finally arrived at John’s house. John refused to leave without his dog. “It was harder getting her out then getting her up,” he said. All three were safely evacuated from the attic.
By the next day, the house had been extensively damaged, yet its frame was still standing. John hasn’t decided whether to rebuild.
One thing he knows for certain is that Zeva is a hero. “She’s my best friend,” he told FOX 7.
Texas, as you know, has been deluged with rain over the past couple of weeks, resulting in devastating flooding.
Animal shelters and rescues throughout the state are being overwhelmed by the influx of homeless pets. The following are just a few that need our help so they can continue helping these four-legged flood victims.
Now, after severe weather hit the area, Dallas DogRRR really needs our help.
“Boarding, vet bills and supporting the fosters are costing us thousands, and especially with the recent flooding and weather here in Texas, we’re struggling keeping up our donations to support those efforts,” said volunteer Jennifer Garrison.
Dallas DogRRR also needs to find forever homes for homeless dogs like best friends Ellie and Lily. Ellie is a young Black Lab who thinks she’s a lap dog. She gets along well with other dogs, cats and kids. Lily is a Chocolate Lab mix who has a big personality and, like Ellie, also gets along well with other dogs, cats and older kids. For more information, email LindsayDallasDogRRR@yahoo.com.
The rescue will be holding two dog adoption events this month at these Texas locations:
June 6 – Hollywood Feed, 2170 FM 423, Little Elm; 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
June 27 – Alamo Drafthouse, 100 S. Central Expressway, Richardson; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Austin Pets Alive!
When local animal lovers found out the Austin Pets Alive! shelter had been flooded over Memorial Day weekend (that’s the shelter in the photo at the top of this post), they lined up in the rain to do what they could to help. Many of them fostered the displaced pets, while many others helped clean up the mess at the shelter.
Thanks to these awesome people, as well as a grant from the Petco Foundation, APA! was able to save 340 animals.
To make a donation to help APA! help more animals, click here. The rescue will also be holding several fundraising events this month. Check its website for the dates and locations.
Maybe the city’s famous slogan “Keep Austin Weird” should be changed to “Keep Austin Weird — and Compassionate!”
Houston SPCA
“Due to the severe weather, there have been a lot of stray animals caught in precarious situations,” Lisa Rotter, community outreach manager for the Houston SPCA, told ABC News last week, after a tornado swept through part of the city.
Volunteers supplied loving care, food and water to four-legged survivors staying in an American Red Cross evacuation center, while other volunteers worked at the Houston SPCA shelter.
“Dedicated staff and volunteers made their way to the Houston SPCA despite flooding and road closures to ensure that the animals are cared for and safe,” the Houston SPCA wrote on its Facebook page May 26.
To make a donation to the Houston SPCA, click here.
The four-legged member of a Texas family swept away by floodwaters has been found alive.
Maggie, a yellow Lab, was rescued Sunday after a resident spotted her in a tree near the Blanco River in Wimberley, the Statesman reports.
Maggie belongs to the McComb family of Corpus Christi, who were spending Memorial Day weekend with eight other people in a house on the Blanco River when the devastating flooding occurred Saturday night.
Jonathan McComb was rescued, but his wife, Laura, and their two young children, Andrew and Leighton, are still missing, along with the others who were staying in the house.
Laura called her sister, Julie Shields, about 1 a.m. Sunday, Shields told KVUE. She said she was in a house floating down the river.
“Tell mom and dad, ‘I love you,’ and pray,” she told Shields.
Jonathan told Shields everyone had been holding hands inside the house, which broke off its wooden stilts and was swept down the raging river. When the house struck a bridge and broke apart, Jonathan was separated from the others.
Rescue crews found him on a riverbank several miles from where the house once stood. He suffered a collapsed lung, and broken sternum and rib, and is being treated at a San Antonio hospital.
“He is absolutely devastated,” Shields told KVUE. “He did everything he possibly could to save them.”
With the assistance of FEMA’s Texas Task Force One, crews are using search-and-rescue dogs, infrared technology, drones and boat squads in the effort to find those still missing. Kiii News reported today that 22 volunteer teams comprised of 250 people are also assisting in the search effort.
[UPDATE: Tragically, the bodies of Laura and Andrew have been found. Four-year-old Leighton is still missing.]
Angela Clendenin, a spokeswoman for the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team, said finding Maggie alive was “just amazing.”
“It’s just a good part of that story,” she told the Statesman.
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