Posted on 06/03/2015 8:57:59 AM PDT by bimboeruption
In the wake of a deadly tornado that destroyed parts of Van, Texas, a week ago, a dog was found curled up with her dead owner David Tapley, a retired police officer, and nearby his wife, Brenda.
The Great Pyrenees, thought to be about 8 years old (solid information about her previous life, including her name, is hard to come by), is banged up, emotionally and physically.
She's showing signs of shock; her skin is raw and bruised. She has some head trauma, and is now deaf in one ear from a burst eardrum.
But, rather miraculously, she's alive. She has a new name -- Emma -- given to her by a new family, who themselves have one new goal: to help this dog heal.
"My mom and I agreed that we would set her birthday at her survival date. That is the day her life changed. It helps us honor the lives of her owners that perished in the tornado," says Michelle Shockley, who, along with her parents, has adopted Emma. "Trust me, I cry a lot."
Emma wasn't David and Brenda Tapleys' only pet. Five others -- along with a dozen-odd other animals affected by the tornado -- were brought from the devastation in Van to a horse farm about 20 miles away, where they're being taken care of by the group Nicholas Pet Haven.
Cindy Nash, founder of Nicholas Pet Haven, says that these animals, mostly, remarkably, are seeming OK. (The rest will be up for adoption soon.)
Emma seemed worst hit.
"She has the saddest face and is absolutely traumatized," says Nash. "You can't help but cry when you look at her and just want to sit and hold and love her."
(Excerpt) Read more at huffingtonpost.com ...
Getting out my tissues.
I agree.
Can’t help crying for poor Emma & what she’s been thru. Truly lovely dogs. Smart, too.
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