One for Skip

Thu May 26, 12:31 pm ET

Dog with two broken legs finds owner after storm
By Liz Goodwin

A scruffy Alabama terrier mix named Mason was whisked away by fierce twisters last month, prompting his owners, who lost their home in the storm, to fear the worst. But the redoubtable mutt apparently crawled back to his home days later with two broken legs in a remarkable tale of survival.

Local news outlet WBRC reports that Mason was blown away by the storm from the garage in Birmingham where he was hiding on April 27. His owners looked for him everywhere but couldn't find him. Two and a half weeks later, though, they found Mason waiting for them on their front porch when they returned to the house to look through the debris.

Workers at the Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control shelter are now caring for Mason, since his owners say they can't take care of him while they piece their lives back together after the storm. "This is probably the most dramatic we've seen as far as an injury in an animal that's survived this long. It's kind of tapering off, the amount of animals we're seeing because of the storm. For an animal just to show up on someone's porch after this time was pretty remarkable, especially with the condition he's in," shelter worker Phil Doster told the news station.

Mason is "doing fantasic" after his May 20 surgery where metal plates were attached to his bones so they could heal, Doster told The Lookout in an email. "We are excited that he will be going back to his family and to the home where he finally returned after 3 weeks," he wrote. Mason is expected to be able to walk completely normally after he recovers in about six weeks, though his front legs will be a bit shorter than his back legs. Mason's family has requested to not be named in the media, Doster added, but they are "very excited" for Mason to come home when their house is again habitable in about five weeks.

Pets are often forgotten victims of natural disasters such as the fierce storms and tornadoes that have battered the Midwest the past few months. The Human Society of the United States has sent rescue teams to find pets in Joplin, Missouri, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and other hard-hit areas.