Scott Wilson/The HSUS

Coltrain is treated by a disaster team member.

It's hard to believe that Coltrain, a black and white border collie mix, is still alive. After tornadoes recently tore through his home in the community of Lafayette, Tenn., Coltrain's family searched for him in the ruins. Devastated when they saw a lifeless, limp black and white dog in the nearby wreckage, they began to grieve their beloved pet.

But four days later, Coltrain was found alive by a state trooper and put into the hands of a rescuer from The Humane Society of the United States. With a 14-inch gash on his stomach that showed signs of early infection, the injured and frightened dog was a sight for sore eyes for his family. 

After a short but happy reunion with his family, The HSUS team took him to the emergency shelter they'd set up at the fairgrounds, and later brought him to a local veterinarian for care. At the veterinarian, he received the antibiotics and surgery that will bring him back to his family—their miracle in the aftermath of the storm.

"That's just one of the stories we could tell about this response," said Scotlund Haisley, senior director of Disaster Services for The Humane Society of the United States. "There's also Toto, the little dog who was swept up by the tornado and seemingly dropped from the sky relatively unscathed. And the dog who ran up to me on a highway, and then led me back to his home—where three other dogs were caught in the wreckage of their doghouses. And the four orphaned puppies under a house who we pulled out late at night while the temperature hovered around freezing."

Scott Wilson/The HSUS

The Macon County Sheriff and local emergency management agency requested The HSUS Disaster Response team to help companion animals who were displaced by the record-breaking tornadoes in Tennessee. Eight members of the team responded and set up triage, care and reunion areas in the buildings of the county fairgrounds. They also responded to rescue requests.

"This community has been so welcoming of our team and our efforts on behalf of their animals," Haisley said. "From Dr. Gordon, the acting state veterinarian, to Mr. Ray Goud, the president of the Macon County Fairgrounds, to the people who brought towels and blankets, to the local American Red Cross volunteers and others who have come to walk the dogs—it's been a good experience, even in the midst of such destruction." 

The team has taken in more than 50 animals so far, and has put out food and water for hundreds more animals still running loose. It has many more lost animal reports that they are still trying to match with those found or brought in to the shelter. All animals are being seen by the HSUS veterinary technicians and local veterinarians. One veterinarian who lost her practice to the storm still came by repeatedly to assess and treat the dogs in the emergency shelter.

The rescue and sheltering efforts, which began immediately after the storm by the Wilson County DART team and were augmented by the Nashville Humane Society, were put under the authority of The Humane Society of the United States last Saturday. 

"Our communities and our state did everything they could to help these animals immediately," according to Leighann McCollum, the Tennessee state director for The Humane Society of the United States. "As the state begins the recovery effort, we were happy to augment their efforts with our disaster response team. Working together, we saved animals' lives, and brought families back together after a tragedy, this week."

Haisley also credited a volunteer team from Georgia's Sterile Feral organization, who drove for hours to help under the HSUS banner, and the HSUS NDART volunteers who responded to the call to help. "We couldn't have done what we did, as quickly as we did it, without their help."

The HSUS team will continue its work at least through Feb. 20, when the state will decide who will take in the animals that haven't been claimed.

Asked about the most memorable experience, Haisley recounted, "There are so many … but one that best symbolizes our work was a young cat—maybe 8 months to a year old. He was black and white and very scared. We brought him into our shelter trailer and separated him from the dogs, but he was still having a hard time. Meanwhile, a woman came in looking for her daughter's black and white cat. She said she didn't want to bring her daughter unless she could give her good news. She described him, and we realized it was probably the same cat. We brought her back to where the kitten was so she could make sure. It was her daughter's cat! The next day, the whole family came in for a tearful, happy reunion.

"This safe haven helped bring that family back together. The community has lost so much, but we can bring back some of the joy when we reunite them with their animals. That's amazing—and it's why we're here."