Mid-Westerners please check in...

[BG and Gavin]

Everyone okay after the storm?  Wondering about our Illinois friends (Karen?).  Stormy and windy here with winds reaching 100km but no tornados and so far no big damage here(touch wood) but keeping a close eye as the winds howl around the house.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

We shook, rattled, and rolled, for hours but the sun came up today all fine.
I did place Spuds collar on plus his GL Harness with additional
Tags so he had twice the chance of being identified in case we were blown apart.
I hope more check in this morning.
Thanks BG

[Robin and Libby Louise]

It makes me weep to think of having to do this God forbid Spud got separated from you.  I have shared the missing dog info on my Facebook page as well - you never know who is going to see it.  It is just so heartbreaking to think about it.  I hope everyone is reunited safely in short order!

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

Do you think in times like these if there was a risk of your home being flattened that you should tether your dog to you?  

[Leslie and Halas]

Every now and again, someone will post a comment in one of the FB groups wondering why people didn't take their dog or cat into the basement with them.  But I don't think that was the main problem here.  1.  A lot of families weren't home when it happened.  It was a Sunday, 11:00am-12:00, so a lot of people were at church.  2.  Some people made it to their basements, and may have taken their pets with them.  But if the tornado can rip your house off of the foundation, it can pick up your dog or your cat, or even rip it out of your arms.  3.  Some animals are skittish, and they can sense these things way before we can.  If the dog or cat hides before the sirens go off, there may not be time to find them before the tornado hits.

I wonder if tethering would help with 2.  If you could hold onto something, and your dog could hold onto you, that might help.  But I can see big risks of human and pet injury there, too.  I guess injury is better than being sucked up in a tornado.

[BG and Gavin]

Back in the old days, there was a tornado that whipped through our area.  My uncles step-daughter had a GSD which she had chained to a tree (ugh, but it was a different time then).  At any rate they were not home when the tornado went through, but when they did get back to their place their entire house was gone as was the tree that the dog was chained to.  I mean gone, gone.  After the shock wore off they started combing the farm, hundreds of feet away, they found the downed tree and there was the dog, still chained to the tree, having a little nap in the field.  He was totally unharmed.  It was a miracle.

[Leslie and Halas]

Wow!  I can't believe he was unharmed.  The one fatality they've reported so far is a 51 year old man.  He was found about 100 meters from where he was last seen.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

6 confirmed deaths, the other 5 were in Southern IL. :(

[Leslie and Halas]

This article makes it sound like the 51 year old didn't make it to the basement, because he was worried about their cats.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local/illinois&id...

[Leslie and Halas]

Glad you guys are OK!

[BG and Gavin]

Glad all is well there Joanne - your prep of Spud makes it very real :(

[F, Calla & Luca]

How scary.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thanks for checking in guys and that everyone so far is safe.  I am so sad about pets going missing but hope that they will quickly be reunited with their owners. Those of you still waiting for heavy rains, stay dry....