The news footage of the Joplin, Missouri, tornado has been heartbreaking. I can’t even bring myself to watch the stories of pet owners desperately searching through the wreckage for their lost animals. It’s just too sad. But I’m feeling hopeful again, thanks to this story about a dog from Alabama.

Mason, a terrier, disappeared in a twister last month, only to turn up two and-a-half weeks later on the front porch of his house (or what was left of it) — with two broken legs. That’s right, Mason spent days crawling his way back home with two broken legs.

No doubt Mason’s owners were crying tears of joy when they found him at last. You have to figure at that point they’d given up all hope, and then suddenly … ! And on the front porch of their demolished house, no less! If I saw this happen in a movie I’d call it a classic Hollywood ending; too perfect to be true. The fact that this dog actually did survive his journey home against all odds proves that, at the risk of sounding trite, miracles do happen.

Vets at his local animal shelter say Mason is doing well after having surgery (they attached metal plates to the bones in his legs, which will help them heal). Meanwhile, just having Mason back must be helping his owners to heal from the loss of their home.

Tags | Crawls Home, dog, Tornado