Rescuers save Tennessee dog stranded 20 feet high in tree after Hurricane Helene floods
Ben Madilynn
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A Tennessee dog was rescued after Hurricane Helene floods left her stranded 20 feet high in a tree.
In a Facebook post on October 2, the Kingsport Fire Department revealed its Technical Rescue Team and the Murfreesboro Police Department found a missing dog 20 feet up a tree in Washington County near the Nolichucky River.
The police department’s dog, K9 Kari, first alerted rescuers to the missing pup on Wednesday, prompting firefighters to use a ladder for the rescue, as shared on Facebook. The Murfreesboro Police Department detailed the event in a separate post, explaining that K9 Kari and her handler, officer Angela Alexander, were searching for flood victims when Kari suddenly began “barking uncontrollably,” guiding the team to a tree where the dog was stranded.
“The funny thing about Kari is she is not fond of other dogs but this time it was different,” Alexander recalled. “I’m so proud of her helping to find something good in all the devastation caused by the flooding.”
In the rescue footage, a fire department member climbed the ladder to scoop up the pup and safely bring her back to solid ground. Remarkably, the dog – later identified as Athena – has since been reunited with her owners, Allie and TJ Faulkner. They shared that she was separated from them during Hurricane Helene on Friday, September 27.
In an interview with a local news outlet WCYB, the couple recounted how, during the hurricane, they hurried their children to TJ’s parents’ house amid last week’s flooding. Afterward, TJ and his father returned home to rescue their pets, including their dog, but sadly, it was too late.
“We took his front-end loader and put it up against a building and climbed up on the building,” TJ recalled. “A bunch of debris pushed up against my front porch. It was metal steel beams. It collapsed my front porch. When it done that, it just pushed my house and it floated like an ark.”
However, amid all the devastation, there was a silver lining. They discovered Athena had survived thanks to a social media post documenting the rescue.
“I was weeping, I was laughing,” Allie said. “I was so happy.”
The local news outlet documented their heartwarming reunion, showcasing Athena’s excitement as she joyfully reunited with her family. “It’s like another member of our family, it’s like another child,” TJ said of the pup. “She means a lot to us.”
TJ expressed his gratitude to the rescuers, saying they “brought a light at the end of the tunnel.”
