An Illinois family feared they had lost their beloved senior dog forever after a powerful tornado ripped their home from its foundation and scattered debris across the area.
Connie and Jeff Baker were inside their family home in Teutopolis on Wednesday, June 17, when an EF3 tornado tore through the community, destroying nearly everything in its path, according to local news outlet WCIA.
As the violent storm closed in, Connie said she dropped to the ground and prayed for her life.
“I buried my face into the dirt and put my hands over my head and just prayed and prayed and prayed,” she recalled.
The tornado lifted the Bakers’ home from its foundation, leaving the property in ruins. After the storm passed, storm chasers helped Connie and Jeff climb out of the wreckage.
The couple, who are now staying safely in Mattoon with their son, immediately began searching for their three dogs.
Two of them, Sam and Willow, eventually came running across a nearby field. But their third dog, Winnie, was nowhere to be found.
Winnie is a 15-year-old Corgi who suffers from arthritis and also has problems with her hearing and vision, leaving the family deeply worried that she would not be able to survive alone among the debris.
“All I could do was cry because I thought I lost her,” Connie told WCIA. “She’s my baby.”
Then, one day after the tornado, Connie received a message on Facebook from Stephanie and Todd Waldhoff.
Todd, who works for the Illinois Department of Transportation, had discovered Winnie alive beneath a pile of rubble. Because it was around 4 a.m. when he found her, he brought the dog home so she could rest somewhere safe.
Despite everything Winnie had endured, she escaped with only a minor injury.
“She had one little scratch on her nose,” Stephanie told the outlet.
Stephanie, who is also a dog owner, said she quickly “fell in love” with the senior Corgi. She made sure Winnie had food, comfort and a safe place to stay until she could be reunited with Connie.
The emotional reunion brought some relief to the Baker family after the destruction of their home, although their search is not over.
Connie said the family is still missing two cats. One is an all-black cat with a clipped left ear, while the other is black and white.
Stephanie said the disaster was a reminder that homes and possessions can eventually be replaced, but loved ones cannot.
“They lost material things that can be replaced,” she said. “People, our fur babies, that’s what’s important.”