Dog rescued from Hurricane Helene saves Delco family from scary situation

EDDYSTONE, Pa. - A Delaware County family saved a shelter dog from North Carolina, and it ends up returning the favor—saving them. 

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

"I’d been watching news coverage and seen the devastation of what's happening and said I really want to help," said Gabby Bannon.

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

"We had three rigs, trucks and trailers of supplies to take down to the Livestock Center in Canton, North Carolina because they actually distribute supplies to hard hit areas," she explained.

The next day, they loaded up some 35 shelter dogs from the local humane society to bring them back to Pennsylvania to find them homes. 

However, there was something about one dog in particular. 

"I took him out of his crate and there was something special about him," Gabby explained. 

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

"From there it was game over. He’s definitely coming home with us," she said.

Meet Gabby Bannon, her two-year-old son Michael, six-month-old baby Wesley and their new life-saving rescue dog Rusty.

Gabby named the dog Rusty, and boy, oh 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, and Gabby and the boys were taking a morning nap, sound asleep in a second-floor bedroom, when Rusty started barking and pacing. 

"I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and he jumped up and started tugging at my sleeve and he just wouldn’t stop," she said.

Gabby sensed now something was terribly wrong. 

"When I opened my bedroom door, smoke filled the hallway." 

Gabby scooped up the boys, and quickly got them and the family dogs outside. It turns out it was a small kitchen fire that she was able to run back in and put out. But she knows too how fast fire can spread. 

"I don’t like to think about what that would have looked like. Potentially we could have been trapped upstairs."

Gabby said the family will be forever thankful to this rescue pup who rescued them. 

"It's almost as if he was meant to come into our lives and meant to be there to save us." 

Gabby thought Rusty was so sweet he must belong to someone and was possibly displaced during Helene. 

She and her husband were prepared to drive him back down to North Carolina, but after checking and double-checking, she learned he was in fact a stray. But not anymore. He found a fabulous family, and yes, he got a big steak dinner for saving them. 

What a good boy!