Despite the whole world being focused on the novel coronavirus ravaging the world, it's not the only misfortune some people have had to go through. A lot of people in the USA were affected by the tornadoes that struck at the beginning of March.
Luckily, the story has a happy ending for this family, at least. Eric and Faith Johnson had been looking for their lost pup ever since a tornado destroyed their house. Their Australian shepherd Bella was the one who heroically alerted the family and helped them hide but, unfortunately, got lost herself. Today she's been finally reunited with her family after 54 long days of searching.
Meet Bella, the hero dog who went missing for 54 days after she saved her family when an EF-4 tornado destroyed their home
Image credits: Eric Johnson
A Tennessee family recently got reunited with their Australian shepherd Bella, who had been missing for nearly two months after a tornado ripped through their home back in early March. Bella alerted the family just in time for them to hide in the bathtub when the tornado came, but got lost herself. Her owners, Eric and Faith Johnson, had been looking for her ever since.
She alerted her family just in time for them to hide in the bathtub only moments before the tornado hit their house, but got lost herself
Image credits: Eric Johnson
Her family would frequently visit their neighborhood in hopes of finding Bella after the tornado
Image credits: Eric Johnson
They would frequently visit their neighborhood and even leave pieces of their clothing so that she could recognize their scent, believing she was possibly hanging around somewhere close to home, and they weren’t wrong. She was found less than five miles away from their home. They didn’t ever doubt whether she was alive, since several people in the neighborhood described seeing her after the tornado.
Despite several neighbors reporting seeing her, they had no luck in finding the dog
Image credits: Eric Johnson
Almost two long months after, church friend Sarah Romeyn, who helps track missing animals after storms, received a call about Bella
Image credits: Eric Johnson
Last Friday, the 25th of April, their church friend Sarah Romeyn got a call from an employee at an animal grooming service who claimed to have seen Bella across the street. Romeyn, being someone who helps families to reunite with their lost animals after storms, knew exactly what to do.
She had been spotted hanging around across the street from an animal grooming business
Image credits: Eric Johnson
Romeyn installed trail cameras on a fence, set up some food to lure Bella, and then called Eric, Bella’s owner, who came to help capture her with his brother-in-law and pastor
Image credits: Eric Johnson
She set up trail cameras on a fence near the grooming business and eventually managed to capture her coming out from the narrow gap between two buildings. Romeyn then gave Bella’s owners a call and Eric came to rescue her with his brother-in-law and pastor. They blocked the passage from both ways while Eric jumped the fence and captured Bella.
Bella was reunited with her family as they plan to rebuild their home after it was torn down by the tornado
Image credits: Eric Johnson
"This dog saved our lives. She's the one who gave us a chance to survive," Eric said
Image credits: Eric Johnson
"I started losing hope. This is amazing because to have her back with us, it completes our family now and puts a missing piece back," Eric said. "This dog saved our lives. She's the one who gave us a chance to survive."
Finding Bella gave much-needed hope back to the family
Image credits: Eric Johnson
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