A young boy trapped under rubble after a mudslide destroyed his family’s home is alive today thanks to the shelter dog he rescued. Jaime was at home with his grandparents and sister, near Asheville, North Carolina, when a mudslide caused by Hurricane Helene slammed into their house. He was thrown across the room, face-planting into a wall, and ended up 12 feet deep beneath the rubble. Trapped in the dark, unable to escape, he feared everyone he loved was gone. All he could feel was water dripping on him, making him worry he would drown or run out of air.
While his grandparents and sister were safe above, they couldn’t find him or hear his cries for help – but Tucker the dog could. The dog barked and whined directly over the spot where Jaime was buried, refusing to leave until firefighters arrived to dig him out. Jaime believes Tucker could hear and smell him when no one else could. “I probably would have died if it wasn’t for Tucker,” Jaime told WCNC Charlotte, happy and relieved. “He rescued me.”
It seems Tucker was just returning the favor. Three years earlier, Jaime and his sister had saved up their allowance to rescue Tucker from the shelter just days before he was scheduled to be euthanized.
The family has lost everything in the hurricane, and Jaime’s grandmother shared that they were only $4,000 short of paying off their mortgage after 20 years. Despite the loss, they are grateful to be alive and to have each other. For now, the family is staying at the hospital, as they have nowhere else to go, but the nursing team has pitched in to help foster Tucker until they can find a place to stay.
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