At least one dog in Malakoff, Texas, seemed pretty unfazed after a tornado swept through the town Tuesday.
As a KYTX news crew was surveying the damage during a live broadcast, they came across a Labrador Retriever sitting in the driver’s seat of a lawn mower, appearing ready to take care of the lawn.
“Look at that dog!” said reporter Andrea Martinez, giggling as the camera zoomed in on the pooch.
“While reporting on storms in Malakoff, I spotted a pup ready to start the clean-up!” she wrote on Twitter.
Apparently taking the driver’s seat is becoming trendy for Labs. Last weekend, as his dog dad shopped at a mini-market, a Lab was behind the wheel of their semi-trailer as it careened across a street and into a tree and parked car. Fortunately no one was hurt.
As for the mower-driving Lab, KYTX had an update on its Facebook page Tuesday: “He charges $30/hour for his lawn service.”
The devastating EF3 tornado that ripped through Texas Saturday killed at least 11 people and destroyed scores of houses, but two dogs were very lucky to survive.
Gina Berkshier rescued her cousin and her cousin’s husband after they became trapped under their house in Rowlett Saturday. She searched everywhere, but couldn’t find her cousin’s two dogs.
As her cousin and family recovered from their injuries, Berkshier returned to their demolished house today to try to salvage what she could of their belongings.
As she sorted through the debris, Berkshier heard barking and crying. She and family members spent 20 minutes digging through the rubble to reach Sawyer, one of her cousin’s dogs.
A friend rushed Sawyer, who appears to be a yellow Lab mix, to the vet. Amazingly, Sawyer suffered no broken bones or serious injuries.
A few hours later, Berkshier and her helpers were able to free her cousin’s other dog, a Chihuahua named Lucy. Like Sawyer, the little dog did not suffer any major injuries.
“Oh my gosh, I have not been able to sleep these last few nights,” Berkshier told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. “I was just praying.”
NBC 5 reports that both Sawyer and Lucy are expected to make full recoveries.
After Hurricane Patricia swept across Mexico and became a tropical storm, it brought massive flooding to Texas. The town of Corsicana was especially hard hit — over 18 inches of rain fell overnight Friday, causing a freight train to derail and the need for many people to be rescued from flooded areas, including an elderly man and his dog who were trapped in a pickup truck.
The man and small white dog were trapped for four hours, James Reed, a firefighter with Corsicana Fire Rescue, told the Telegraph.
When three emergency responders from the Texas Task Force and the Corsicana Fire Rescue arrived by a Washington County EMS raft, the level of the swift-moving water had almost reached the top of the truck’s windows.
The rescuers had difficulty spotting the truck in the darkness, but, fortunately, the man saw their flashlights.
In a video taken by Reed, a rescuer first plucks the dog from the truck’s cab. The dog runs excitedly around the raft and looks anxiously at the truck as the rescuer slowly pulls out the elderly man.
As the man sits in the raft, his dog hops into his lap and gives him a big kiss.
The man was taken to a hospital, according to the Telegraph.
If heavy rains should occur where you live, never drive your car on a flooded road. As the National Weather Service warns, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”
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.
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