Hounds Survive Tornado

21 Jul 08

Max and Maudie, the hounds who survived the tornado, are calm now. But a few months ago they, and their companions the Anderson family, were terrorised by a tornado (as reported by the Des Moines Register).

The Andersons’ life has literally been turned upside down since an EF5 tornado destroyed their Parkersburg rental house they’d lived in for 15 years. The twister destroyed a third of the Butler County town of 1,800 and killed eight people.

On the 25th of May as the Andersons were eating supper the tornado siren went off. They thought it odd as it was sunny outside. They flipped on the television to find out that a tornado was heading their way. The sky darkened. They grabbed the dogs and headed toward the basement.

“Then it was there, this horrendous noise,” Dana Anderson said. “All the sudden, everything caved in.” Karen was blown into the kitchen. A cupboard fell atop her. Three walls landed on Dana.

“At that point, I thought I had died,” Dana Anderson said. The Andersons were trapped. Dana’s fingers poked out from the destroyed house. Neighbors shouted into the rubble. They were rescued and taken to the hospital.

Good news followed the morning after the tornado. Karen’s phone rang. It was her veterinarian. S omebody had found Max, the basset hound-dachshund mix, tied up at the fire station.

Later that day, a friend noticed a black dog cowering inside the Andersons’ rubble: Maudie, the basset hound-Labrador mix lived.

Dana was released from the hospital more than a week later. They face a long recovery, but friends, family and local community have pitched in to help them get to their feet (no pun intended).

Aplington has been wonderful, both say. But they’re itching to take Max and Maudie and move back home.

SuperWoof to Surviving Tornados!

Awoof! Archie