As the devastating effects of Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Harvey continue to be felt in Texas, there have been countless stories of courage and heroism when it comes to saving some of the most vulnerable in its path: animals.
From displaced cats and dogs being flown to shelters up north for safe haven to animal rescuers in the Texas region working round the clock, humans are doing everything they can to make sure kitties, puppies and every creature in between is safe.
One of the awesome humans to do just that was Austin-based storm chaser Aaron Jayjack.
Jayjack was chasing the storm on the South Texas coast late last week when he came across a dog named Cash in the town of Runge.
“I could tell that Cash was distressed,” Jayjack says, “He did not seem injured, but he seemed very weak and cold and he was very wet!”
A dog owner himself, Jayjack says he knew the lost canine needed his help.
Jayjack put Cash in his truck and reached out to social media to get the displaced dog back where he belonged: with his owners.
“It was approximately three hours after I first tweeted that I got the first lead on the potential owner,” Jayjack says. “I had already made my way back to Austin, where I live, and had boarded my dogs while I was away chasing the hurricane.”
Once he got confirmation that the lead was in fact Cash’s owner, Jayjack made the dangerous drive from Austin to Runge in the midst of the storm in order to get him home (Cash slept in the car the entire time, both ways, according to Jayjack).
Cash’s owner had left the house because he was on call for work and, unfortunately, while Runge wasn’t in the direct path of the storm, there was still enough scary weather to unsettle Cash, who ran out a back door that hadn’t been closed properly.
Jayjack says that although Cash’s owner was shocked and nervous about his lost companion, he was grateful for the storm chaser’s efforts to get him home.
The journey back to Runge paid off. Not only was the owner thrilled to see Cash, the pup nearly jumped out of the car window when he saw his papa (Jayjack captured the incredible moment on camera and shared it on YouTube).
“It was the highlight of my adventure chasing Hurricane Harvey,” Jayjack says. “It’s not an easy feeling to replicate; feelings of goodness when you help animals and people out.”
Jayjack says that with this or any storm, if you are in a position to help animals, you should.
“Do whatever you can to help animals out,” he says. “They don’t have the means like humans do to protect themselves.”
Image via Aaron Jayjack
Aly Semigran is a lifestyle writer for the world, and roommate of Ruby, the cutest dog in the world.
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