Dog returns home 54 days after tornado destroyed family house

A dog returned to its Mississippi home after being lost for nearly two months following tornadoes in early March.

Bella, an Australian shepherd, was missing for 54 days but was found on Sunday, WTVF-TV reports.

The dog, the Associated Press reports, is credited with alerting her family to the tornadoes before the storms completely demolished their home.

“This is amazing because to have her back with us, it completes our family now and puts a missing piece back,” Eric Johnson told WTVF-TV.

Johnson shared news of the reunion on his Facebook page, along with photos of his beloved dog getting a well-deserved bath after so many days of being separated from her family.

“To say that I wasn’t starting to lose hope in ever finding her again would be a lie,” he wrote, adding: “At the moment our miracle dog has a full belly of food and is currently sleeping in a warm bed where she belongs.”

The family pet was reportedly found on Sunday about 6.5 kilometres away from home. According to WAVE 3 News, many saw her wandering the area but no one was able to catch her.

To help, local shelter Big Fluffy Dog Rescue set up trail cameras, with motion sensors affixed, to figure out where she was living.

In the meantime, Johnson’s wife Faith was recovering from two broken ribs after holding her children so tightly during the storm, KCTV News reports.

Johnson, too, suffered injuries after being thrown off his family while crouching over them in the bathtub.

The broadcast station reports that 18 people in Putnam County, where the Johnsons live, were killed, and 24 people died in the state.

The family told WTVF-TV earlier this month that they plan to rebuild their house in the same place the tornado tore it apart last month.

“We’re not going to let fear run us from our property and our home,” Faith said.

— With files from the Associated Press

meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca