Animal sanctuaries recovering from May 24 tornadoes

Her Pug Hollow Sanctuary, 7 miles south of Dibble, was slammed about 4 p.m. May 24 by a tornado. She has spent 10 years at the sanctuary rescuing pugs and other breeds of dogs, cats and even horses.

When the call came from a neighbor that the sanctuary took a direct hit, she was still stuck in a traffic detour near Maysville.

“My heart just stopped,” Stanley said. “It was just sickening.”

Now she has embarked on a project to rebuild the sanctuary.

A cat and a dog were lost. Luckily, most of the animals survived. She's found 20 of the dogs since the storm, including a Chihuahua, named Stranger, that lost an eye and suffered a head injury. The eardrums of her own 13-year-old Chinese pug, named Edgar, the first dog to be rescued 10 years ago, burst from the roar of the tornado. Another pug, named Thomas, also suffered eardrum damage.

Stanley, 33, who works for the state Department of Environmental Quality, this year applied for nonprofit status for the sanctuary. Now, she needs donations to help rebuild the barns, outbuildings and kennels destroyed by the tornado. She's rescued about 60 animals in the past decade and found foster homes for them.

Since the tornado, she has stayed in a tent and a recreational vehicle on the property. She has had help form others taking care of the dogs and cats, as well as three horses.

She had carpooled to work on the day of the tornado and lost her own car, which was tossed 400 yards and crumpled.