Dog rescued from Hurricane Helen saves Delko family from scary situation

EDDISTON, PA. – A Delaware County family rescued a shelter dog from North Carolina, and she ended up returning the favor by saving them.

It all started when Gabby Bannon said Eddystone decided she wanted to help victims of Hurricane Helen.

“I watched the news and saw the devastation of what was happening and I said I really want to help,” Gabby Bannon said.

So Gabby Bannon volunteered with her husband to travel to North Carolina with LaMancha Animal Rescue to deliver pet food and other essentials the second weekend in October.

“We had three cars, trucks and trailers of supplies that needed to be delivered to the Livestock Center in Canton, North Carolina, because they are actually distributing supplies to the hardest hit areas,” she explained.

The next day, they picked up about 35 dogs from a local humane society shelter to bring them back to Pennsylvania and find them homes.

However, there was something special about one dog.

“I took it out of the drawer and there was something special about it,” Gabby explained.

Making an instant connection, she decided to have the 3-year-old pup ride home in the cab of their truck.

“The game was over there. He will definitely come home with us,” she said.

Gabby named the dog Rusty, and boy, did this guy fit right into the family.

Her two-year-old son Michael and six-month-old baby Wesley instantly fell in love.

Fast forward two weeks: Gabby and the boys were fast asleep in their second-floor bedroom one morning when Rusty started barking and pacing.

“I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and he jumped up and started tugging at my sleeve, but he couldn’t stop,” she said.

Now Gabby felt that something was wrong.

“When I opened the bedroom door, the hallway filled with smoke.”

Gabby scooped up the boys and quickly led them and the family dogs outside. It turns out it was a small fire in the kitchen, which she was able to run into and put out. But she also knows how quickly fire can spread.

“I don’t like to think about what it would look like. We could potentially be trapped at the top.”

Gabby said the family will be forever grateful to the rescue pup who saved them.

“It was like he had to come into our lives and be there to save us.”

Gabby thought Rusty was so cute that he must belong to someone and maybe he was forced out during Helen’s time.

She and her husband were ready to take him back to North Carolina, but after checking and double-checking, she learned that he was, in fact, lost. But no more. He found a wonderful family, and yes, he got a big steak dinner for saving them.

What a good boy!