'Prayers were answered': Family pulls dogs out from under tornado wreckage
A western Iowa family is counting their blessings after everyone made it out alive from Friday's storm — even their dogs.
The Schabens have been breeding Hungarian Vizslas for decades. They had five of their dogs in a shed in their backyard on the day a tornado swept through their home.
The shed was completely destroyed. One wall fell on top of the kennels and pinned two of the dogs inside.
"It scared me," Carrie Schaben said. "It scared me a lot because these guys mean so much to us."
Junie and Bobby were nowhere to be found. Carrie assumed the worst. That is — until her husband and some family members came to the rescue. They found Junie first.
"We got a Sawzall down in there and cut the kennel and got her out," Bryce Schaben said.
Then, they turned their attention to Bobby. Bryce said they had to use a jack to lift up the debris to get the second dog out.
The dogs have a couple of stitches and bruises from the close call. They were running around the yard Monday.
As for the family's property, Bryce said they have lots of water damage, roof damage, and their porch is gone. But he said they've had lots of help from family, friends and even strangers in the days following the storm.
"This community we have is just unbelievable," Bryce said.
Bryce and Carrie are just thankful that everybody made it out alive.
"Prayers were answered that night," Carrie said.
The family said they've also received donations of dog food and treats from friends. They hope to rebuild the shed that the dogs once lived in as soon as possible.
