A family in Cookeville, Tennessee lost their dog in the aftermath of that EF-4 tornado that struck on March 3.
Amazingly, they have now found their beloved pooch, named Bella. She has been reunited with the family after she went missing for 54 days in a tale of survival for both the family and canine.
A deadly tornado outbreak struck West and middle Tennessee during the night of March 2, continuing into the morning of March 3. Two of the hardest-hit areas were downtown Nashville and Cookeville. The tornadoes killed 26 people and injured over 300.
The EF-4 tornado that struck Putnam County enacted its wrath on a neighborhood near Cookeville, leveling the home of Eric and Faith Johnson that stood on North McBroom Chapel Road.
The family’s dog, Bella, helped alert them to the danger, giving them time to hide in the bathtub just moments before the tornado ripped their house apart.
In the aftermath, the family’s Australian Shepherd sadly went missing.
Because their home was destroyed, the family was forced to find shelter elsewhere. Nonetheless, day after day, rain or shine, the family would return to their old neighborhood hoping to find their dog waiting for them.
Unfortunately, week after week went by without finding their canine companion.
However, there was a reason for hope. Neighbors and other witnesses told the Johnsons that they had spotted the dog, giving the family hope that their pet was still alive.
Then last Friday, someone called a friend of the Johnsons who reported seeing the dog about four miles away from the former family home.
Recruiting some help from others, they blocked off an alleyway where the dog had been traveling between two buildings and Eric Johnson was able to capture her.
Americans are praying about a lot of things right now. Prayers such as: “End this coronavirus pandemic” or “I need a job.” But for the Johnson family, they were praying for one thing: the safe return of their missing dog, Bella.
And after 54 days, that prayer was answered.
“To say that I wasn’t starting to lose hope in ever finding her again would be a lie,” said Eric Johnson, the dog’s owner. “Me and my wife would pray daily that God was keeping her safe out there until he brought her home to us.”
“I started losing hope,” Johnson told a local news channel. “This is amazing because to have her back with us, it completes our family now and puts a missing piece back. This dog saved our lives. She’s the one who gave us a chance to survive.”
