In the middle of a sudden storm, a dog owner was forced to choose.

One of the most heartbreaking things about natural disasters is their suddenness. Often, people find themselves barely escaping from the calamity with only their clothes on their backs.

During these moments, they find themselves making the most difficult decisions. Will they try to save everyone even if the storm is just seconds away or will they run for safety and just pray fervently for the best?

Bruce and Ona Dunlap were watching the news when their cable suddenly went out.

Right before the transmission was cut, the news was warning of an EF2 tornado. Wanting to know the condition of their town in relation to the imminent danger, Bruce stepped out of their house.

“When he stepped outside he told Ona, ‘It’s awful quiet outside and there’s no wind — there’s nothing out here,’” Julie Moore, a good friend of the couple’s, told The Dodo. “She said, ‘Oh yes there is. Get to the storm shelter now.’”

What happened next was a blur of evacuations to safety.

As the tornado was bearing down on them, the couple quickly began taking their household to safety. Ona sprinted to their housemate’s room as one of them was handicapped. Meanwhile, Bruce tried his best to herd all of their pets.

Out of the four cats and two dogs, they only got three cats and one dog. The other dog, Dasha, refused to go outside. If it was fear or terrible anxiety, Bruce can’t tell – because he doesn’t have any time to. The storm will not wait for them and he needed to make a call.

“Dasha could sense that something was wrong and she went to the kitchen and lay down,” Moore recalled to The Dodo. “Bruce didn’t know what to do … by the time he got to the storm shelter he could barely get the door to shut.”

As the tornado touched down, all they could do is pray.

On ground level, the tornado was ripping and shredding everything in its path. The roof of their house was peeled clean. The beams and columns were warped and twisted. Parts of their house were reduced to debris.

Finally, when the worst was over, the family emerged from the storm shelter. What greeted them is the darkness that concealed the true damage of the storm.

They don’t know if Dasha made it out.

The next morning, the Dunlaps surveyed the damage. Walking out from the destruction was a familiar fluffy face. The tearful separation ended in a heartwarming reunion.

“Dasha came running out like, ‘Why did y’all wait so long?’” Moore said to The Dodo. “Ona just grabbed her fur and grabbed her face and started talking to her, saying, ‘I’m sorry. We’re here.’”

Moore also mentioned that Ona often talks to Dasha like a person. At that moment, she knew that Dasha understood the apology and the relief. The two hugged each other – a testament that not everything was lost.

Eventually, they also found Ladybug, the cat that was left behind. Now that their family is complete, they can now start rebuilding and recovering.

It might take long but they’ll do well as long as they have each other.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: YouTube – THV11, The Dodo, Facebook – 5NEWS, 5NEWS