Heroic dog saves family from tornado before perishing in collapsed home
Many dogs do a lot for their owners and families, including defending a home from intruders, watching over the kids while they play, and alerting everyone to the presence of danger. One dog in Putnam County, Tennessee, named Doc, is being hailed as a hero by his family and the community. Sadly, however, Doc, lost his life in the aftermath of the event.
Doc would not stop barking
It all began when a line of nasty storms passed through the town of Cookeville, Tennessee. Pastor Darrin Crockett, Doc’s owner, remembers that Doc was particularly vocal that night. Crockett woke up to Doc’s insistent barking and went to investigate. After multiple times of this and finding nothing, Crockett remembers praying to God that his dog would stop barking. Fortunately, God did not answer his prayers.
Because of Doc’s barking, Crockett was awake to hear the weather alerts
After Doc woke Crockett up again, a weather alert sounded on Crockett’s phone. Normally, he would have slept through the alerts. In the first alert, the U.S. Weather Service had put out a tornado watch for his area. The next time the alert came through, it was for a tornado warning. Everyone in the area was urged to take shelter as a tornado had been spotted.
Putnam County, Tennessee, is hit by devastating tornadoes
Waking his wife and three daughters, Crockett rushed them all into the laundry room downstairs. As the family huddled together, the storm raged overhead. Crockett and his family had no idea of the damage at the time. He also said he could hear Doc whimpering and crying out somewhere above.
“We heard it coming and suddenly the house began to shake,” he told the Baptist and Reflector. “Next thing I remember is I felt grass underneath me. The tornado must have picked up the entire house dropped it in the yard with us buried underneath it.”
Doc dies during the storm
Fortunately, a two-by-four had fallen on top of the overturned washer and dryer, which is what saved the family, which Crockett realized after they got clear of the debris that had once been their home. As for Doc, he had tragically died when the home collapsed on top of him.
“It is amazing,” Crockett acknowledged. “If our dog had not alerted us, who knows where we would have ended up?”
Hailed as a hero, Doc will be remembered
A GoFundMe page was started for the family to try and help raise funds to help them recover from the loss of their home. So far, over $15,000 has been raised. Unfortunately, nothing will ever be able to replace their dog, Doc.
Doc has been hailed as a hero by his family and many in the Cookeville community.
“He will go down as a hero,” the pastor said. “We will celebrate him and talk about him for a long time.”
Check out the video below of an interview that Crockett gave talking about the family’s harrowing experience.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
