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Monson Family's Dog Survives Tornado, Found Alive Trapped Under Roof

MONSON (CBS) - When the tornado hit, Audrey Carabetta and her family rushed into the basement with their pets.

At the last second, their six-month-old puppy got away.

"He ran off and got sucked out of the house," said Carabetta. "You could hear his nails being dragged across the floor and he was just crying you could hear him hitting the walls as he was being pulled out of the house and it completely broke my heart."

The family searched for him everywhere, posted his pictures on Facebook and kept in contact with the local animal shelter.

"We really thought he was dead," said Carabetta.

WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports

But Saturday morning, neighbors and a State Trooper who was passing by, heard some whimpering under a pile of debris. Underneath the roof of a destroyed house, the Sharpei-Chow mix was hungry and tired, but completely unharmed.

"The dog was petrified, wouldn't come near us so we tried to coax it out with food… wouldn't happen," said neighbor Anthony Curtis. "Then one of the State Troopers actually went under… brought the dog out."

The reunion was an emotional one.

"We started crying when we got the call," said Carabetta. "When he saw us he just jumped all over us and licked us and he's doing great."
Shadow was a rescue-dog the family got as a gift for their seven year old daughter.

"She's been battling cancer for the last two years and now she's in remission, and when she found out, she wanted a puppy. So, we got her shadow," said Carabetta.

"We can replace toys and the bedroom but you can't replace someone you love."

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