WLBT.COM - Dog reunites with owner after escaping during tornado

By Mike McKnight and Amanda Alvarado

Published: Apr. 30, 2024 at 2:23 PM EDT

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Neb. (WOWT/Gray News) - Wrigley, a dog who escaped Friday during a tornado, was reunited with his owner.

Wrigley’s owner, Gina Volonec, said as a tornado approached their home, her husband rushed home to secure the family pets.

“He came home to get the animals down to the basement and he got the cats in there,” she said. “Wrigley was down there but he got spooked and ran back up the stairs before David could grab him.”

There was no time to chase Wrigley, but he ended up with a neighbor’s pet named Buddy.

Searchers found paw prints indicating both dogs spent the night along a wooded ridge about half a mile from their homes.

“They were together, and they don’t like each other,” Volonec said.

Volonec said she thought Wrigley was “gone forever.”

“Don’t you dare leave me again,” she said.

Volonec’s home was one of several destroyed after a tornado hit the area.