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Dog rescued from the Bahamas after it was trapped under Hurricane Dorian wreckage for nearly a month

Posted at 6:05 AM, Oct 07, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-07 10:19:00-04

A Florida dog rescue was able to locate and save a canine who had been trapped and buried in the wreckage left by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas on Friday.

Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas on Sept. 2, but it wasn't until last week that officials discovered a dog trapped under a pile of air conditioning units on Abaco Island.

If not for a drone equipped with heat-seeking technology, the dog may not have never been found.

When officials arrived at the scene, they found the dog trapped and emaciated. It's estimated that the dog had been trapped for about three weeks.

The dog was fed small amounts of food and give 300ml of fluid before it was cleared for travel to the United States.

Officials with Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves, Florida, got the initial text about the newly-found canine at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. By 1:30 p.m., the dog had arrived at the rescue for additional care.

Lauree Simmons, the president and founder of Big Dog Rescue Ranch, says she is naming the dog "Miracle."

"Hopefully, we can find his owners. If not, we'll find him a wonderful home," Simmons said.

Unfortunately, a second dog found trapped alongside Miracle did not survive.

While it's been nearly a month since Hurricane Dorian passed over the Bahamas, animal rescue efforts are still very much ongoing. The mission to rescue Miracle was Big Dog's 12th since Hurricane Dorian hit.

"I want everybody to know the crisis [in the Bahamas] is not over," Simmons said.

While rescuing Miracle, Big Dog also transported 1,200 pounds of food — for people and dogs alike.

This story was originally published by T.A. Walker on WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida.