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When Jack Weaver and his brother-in law, Patrick Widen returned home after a ferocious wildfire destroyed their Northern California neighborhood, they were blown away by the smoke and devastation.
However, a ray of light was there to greet them.
Miraculously, the family’s lovely 9-year-old Bernese mountain dog, Izzy, was there at the home site, happy, wagging and there to greet them amid the devastation. The emotional video was captured for posterity, too.
The house was completely gone, but Izzy’s amazing survival seemed to make all the pain go away for the moment as joy washed over them all in reunion.
“She was very happy to see us,” Weaver told the Associated Press. “She’s such a brave dog. She was panting a lot and clearly stressed. But she was not frantic or anything.”
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Here is the Facebook video, posted by family member Becky Jean Widen (contains expletives).
At press time it had been viewed more than 1.3 million times.
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The Weavers, like many in the area, had mere seconds to flee and Izzy was left behind in the panic.
The men hiked for miles to go back and survey the home. Fires continue to burn in the area and it is still blocked to traffic.
Weaver was eventually able to reach his mother, who is staying with relatives, to tell her that Izzy was alive and safe.
“She just lost it,” Weaver said. “She went from being devastated about losing her home to the being the happiest person I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t get home fast enough. She was really, really happy … She’s still shaken up by the whole thing, but she’s in much better spirits now that Izzy is at our house.”
A vet said Izzy was fine, likely insulated from the fire’s intense heat by her thick fur.
