A dog rescued by a Pennsylvania family after Hurricane Helene saved their lives just two weeks later.
Rusty was given a new lease on life after surviving Hurricane Helene when the Bannon family chose to adopt him from among the hundreds of lost dogs they tried to find new homes for in the aftermath of the devastation.
Little did the Bannon family know Rusty would return the favor when he alerted Gabby Bannon, 29, to a growing fire in their Eddystone kitchen just two weeks later.
“It’s almost like he was meant to come into our lives and be there to save us,” she said Fox 29.
Gabby decided to travel to North Carolina, where half of the deaths from Hurricane Helene occurred.
Rusty, a shelter dog in North Carolina, was rescued by a Pennsylvania family after Hurricane Helene and returned the favor by saving their lives just two weeks later
Two weeks after joining the family, 3-year-old pup alerted Gabby Bannon, 29, to a growing fire in their kitchen
Gabby Bannon made the decision to travel to North Carolina with her husband, Michael, 39, to help deliver supplies to the affected areas.
“I’ve been following the reporting and seeing the devastation of what’s happening and said I really want to help,” Gabby said.
Her husband, Michael, 39, wrote on Facebook that the couple would travel to North Carolina to deliver goods to affected areas.
“My wife is coordinating with a local rescue to gather supplies ahead of the trip!” he wrote. “This is what it means to be human: help when you can!”
The pair traveled with LaMancha Animal Rescue to deliver pet food and other supplies to the areas hardest hit in the aftermath of the deadly storm.
Three oil rigs, trucks and trailers full of supplies were transported to the Livestock Center in Canton.
The next day they went to the local Humane Society to round up 35 shelter dogs and bring them back to Pennsylvania to find their families.
But one particular three-year-old pup immediately stole their hearts.
The couple went to the local Humane Society to round up 35 shelter dogs and bring them back to Pennsylvania to find their families — but one particular dog immediately stole their hearts
The dog was given a new name – Rusty – and fit right in with the family, including Michael, her two-year-old son, and Wesley, her six-month-old son.
He was such a perfect dog that the couple thought he belonged to a family displaced during the natural disaster
“I took him out of his crate and there was something special about him,” Bannon said. ‘From that moment on it was game over. He’s definitely coming home with us.’
He was such a perfect dog that the couple thought he belonged to a family displaced during the natural disaster.
They were originally willing to bring him back to North Carolina, but after checking, they realized the sweet pup was a stray.
He was given a new name – Rusty – and fit right in with the family, including Michael, their two-year-old son, and Wesley, their six-month-old son.
Rusty’s love and gratitude for his new family was proven just two weeks later when he began pacing and barking while Gabby and her children napped in the upstairs bedroom.
She knew something was wrong when Rusty started jumping and pulling relentlessly on her sleeve, showing no signs of stopping.
“When I opened my bedroom door, smoke filled the hallway,” she said.
Rusty’s love for his new family was proven just two weeks later when he started pacing and barking while Bannon and her babies napped.
She knew something was wrong when Rusty started pulling relentlessly on her sleeve with no sign of stopping – and when she opened the door, she saw the hallway filling with smoke.
The good pup received a delicious steak dinner for his efforts
Gabby acted quickly to get her children and pets outside safely before rushing back inside to extinguish the flames.
Luckily, Rusty alerted her to the situation before it got any worse, but the outcome could have been very different if he hadn’t.
“I don’t like to think about what that would have looked like,” she added. “We may have been stuck upstairs.”
She said she will be forever grateful to their rescue puppy, who ultimately saved them.