'Miracle Dog' Survives Wildfire Alone After She Escaped When Her Family Was Fleeing Their Home
A California woman thought she'd lost her dog forever when the pup bolted from her arms as she and her husband fled the California wildfires on Monday.
But the family is now dubbing 9-year-old Izzy a "miracle dog" after she ran towards them when they returned the following day to check on the damage.
Katherine Weaver was convinced that the Bernese mountain dog was killed when a wildfire began to engulf their Santa Rosa neighborhood around 1 a.m. Weaver fled from her home with her husband and their dog, but Izzy jumped from her arms at the last minute.
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“When she opened the car door, Izzy bolted into the darkness, so she was just gone,” Jack Weaver, Katherine Weaver’s son, told InsideEdition.com. "She screamed for Izzy, but at that point the flames were 30-feet tall, and they jumped in their car and went down the hill. They barely made it out.”
Katherine Weaver was devastated that she’d left her dog.
“She was sobbing and felt horribly guilty,” Jack Weaver said. “It was her life or Izzy's.”
Weaver decided to search for the dog with his brother-in-law, Patrick, the next morning but they didn’t have much hope that they’d find Izzy alive.
As the pair hiked to Weaver’s parents' home, he pulled out his camera to show his parents what was left on their property.
In a video shared to Facebook, Weaver calls for Izzy and the dog comes running towards them.
“Izzy came bounding out,” Weaver said. “I was happy and shocked. When we told my mom she just sat down and cried for like two hours.”
The video has been shared on Facebook more than 33,000 times.
Read: This Dog Who Was Left For Dead Make A Miracle Recovery
Incredibly, Izzy had no injuries. She was just covered in soot and ash. The vet said that her thick fur likely helped her survive.
“She’s a miracle dog,” Weaver said.
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