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A family whose home was destroyed in a landslide caused by Hurricane Helen announced that their 11-year-old grandson was found under 12 feet of debris by their dog, Tucker.
Jamie Parker, an 11-year-old boy, says: WCNC, “If it wasn’t for Tucker, I probably would have died.”
Jamie recounts the incident with WCNC, saying: “That was scary for me.”. He said he and Mr Tucker were at home with his grandparents and sister Gemma when the landslide hit their home.
Jamie’s grandmother, Donna Johns, describes the moment: “All of a sudden I felt like the house was like this and I saw the walls coming towards me and I thought, ‘What?’
“Then the house collapsed, my face was buried in the wall, and my whole body was blown off.” Jamie said.
The boy also said that while his grandmother ended up on the roof, he was thrown at the bottom of the stairs into a pile of debris from the landslide about 12 feet deep.
“I was scared, I thought I was alone.” Jamie said. “I thought they had fallen. I thought my family was dead.”
As Jamie lay beneath the rubble, he began screaming at the top of his lungs for help, but no one responded to his cries, he said.
“It felt like an eternity there.” Jamie said. “I couldn’t see the sunlight. I felt the water dripping down my body and thought I was either going to drown or run out of air.”
But then he saw a glimmer of hope in the form of his four-legged best friend, Tucker.
Jamie recalls. “Tucker was on top of me, barking. I could hear him whining and barking.”
Jamie’s grandfather, Michael Johns, said Tucker did not move from his spot on the rubble.
“He stayed on top of the mountain and was barking. I thought he had gone mad.” Michael Johns reveals. “I didn’t know he was locating the boy!”
Family members said Tucker stayed at the scene until help arrived and firefighters dug Jamie out.
Jamie was rescued and airlifted to the Jeff Gordon Children’s Center at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Center in Concord, North Carolina, for proper treatment.
The Atrium Health Levine Children’s Thirty-six hours after the incident, the family revealed on Facebook that they were finally reunited at the hospital.
In addition, Atrium Health Levine Children’s said Tucker was rescued near the family’s collapsed home and reunited with Jamie outside the hospital.
The hospital also revealed that Tucker is currently being cared for by one of its nurses while the family stays at the hospital.
“Tucker is currently being cared for by one of our nurses and the family is working to recover and find a new home. Jamie said his family, including four-legged Tucker, will be by his side. It gives me a sense of security.”
The family told WCNC that Tucker was actually a rescue dog and was just days away from being put down.
However, Jamie and Gemma used up all their allowance to pay Tucker’s adoption fee. Looking back on Tucker’s Gotcha Day, Jamie said: “He was the last dog there. As soon as he saw us, he ran up to us.”
And that was the day the brothers rescued Tucker. “And he saved me.” Jamie said.
Your donation will help raise the funds to help Tucker and his entire family get a new home. here.
