09-04-2025
Senior dog vanished from home destroyed in tornado. Then came emotional reunion
A 'sweet' senior dog vanished from a home destroyed in a tornado — then came a heartwarming reunion.
'Linus' survival story is nothing short of extraordinary,' the Mississippi Animal Project wrote on its website.
The lost pup was found safe more than a week after a tornado tore his family's home into 'pieces,' according to the organization. The National Weather Service said EF3 and EF4 twisters left paths of destruction March 15 when they hit near Tylertown, a roughly 100-mile drive south from Jackson.
The tornado killed one of the family's dogs and left some people in their home seriously injured. The family searched for Linus, but he had disappeared amid the destruction, the animal organization wrote on Facebook and in an email to McClatchy News.
'It gets to the point where you face the reality that you're probably not going to find him,' dog owner Curtis Bush told WDAM.
The family turned to the Mississippi Animal Project, which said it spent days trying to trap the missing dog with no luck. Then when he was seen going off into the woods, searchers called a drone operator.
'We knew time was critical — and we were determined to do everything we could to bring him home,' drone company Raven 6 Rising wrote in a Facebook post.
Eventually, a drone tracked down Linus, making for a 'silver lining' after all the moments of 'heartbreak,' according to the Mississippi Animal Project. The dog was found in rough shape but is recovering, rescuers said.
'Linus had some skin irritation, ear infection and was limping on his rear leg with some stiffness and arthritis issues,' the animal organization wrote. 'We had our vet examine him and give medications and they gave him a nice bath as he was quite the smelly boy after surviving ten days on his own.'
After Linus made it to safety, rescuers celebrated him reuniting with his family. Tears flowed when Bush and his dog were back together after days spent apart, WDAM reported.
'We'll rebuild,' Bush told the TV station. 'This isn't going to take us out.'
