Joplin Tornado Dog: Bring Hannah Home

I grew up in tornado country.  Tornadoes were both a cause of fear, while at the same time a source of awe.  The tornado warning sirens were common sound in spring and summer.  I can remember standing on the back porch and watching the storm clouds boil and swirl on the horizon.  I can also remember the destruction of property and lives that they left behind.

I've lived in hurricane country.  Rain pouring down the chimneys;  trees blown horizontal.  Dogs so upset that even days later they required a vet visit for some medication. 

Now I find myself living in the heart of tornado country.  Again. An animal lover, my first concern at the approach of any storm, is my animals.  What would I do if something happened to them?  How would I cope?  What if any one of them became lost?  These questions have always fermented my mind, but especially since this past spring.  I'd like to think that I could be like Kari Wilkes.


On May 22 a deadly EF5 tornado raged through the city of Joplin Missouri leaving over 100 people dead and one third of the town demolished beyond repair.  Hundreds of volunteers rushed to the area to try to find tornado survivors.  Among those volunteers were animal welfare organizations, as well as caring individuals like you and I, who dashed to Joplin to rescue the pets affected by the storm.


One of those pets is Hanah, an all white American Bulldog with one blue eye, 5 years old and 110 pounds before the storm.  Hanah survived the tornado and was spotted the next day near her old neighborhood long enough for a quick photo to be taken.  Unfortunately, the tornado sirens sounded another alert (for yet another cluster of twisters) and Hanah took off before anyone could secure her.

Hanah survived the tornado that demolished Joplin MO

Hanah's family was devastated by the tornado.  Hanah's owner, Kari Wilkes, immediately launched an all-out campaign to locate her baby.   To date the Bring Hanah Home Facebook page has 9,816 members all working together to find Hanah and other lost "tornado dogs".    Currently it is thought that some well intentioned pet rescuer took Hanah out of the area.  She could be, literally, anywhere.  They’ve learned of a woman who had more than 4 dogs she’d taken in (she left a note on a bulletin board at a church). There was a Texas vet who had placed a Craigslist ad stating she was headed in to help, and admits to taking at least one pet back to Texas for treatment.  And there are many other examples.


Please take a look at this Bring Hanah Home video.  Then please share it on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, wherever and whenever you can.  You could be the link the chain that brings Hanah home to her family.




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Joplin Tornado Survivor: Family Searching for White Bulldog Hanah

Photo: Bring Hanah Home

I've written about Hanah in a previous post about pets and the Joplin tornado.   Hanah is still missing and her family is desperate to get her back.  Thanks to a photo taken after the twister and another siting, they know that Hannah survived the tornado.  Unfortunately, if Hannah returns to her home, there's nothing there.

Please take a look at this slide show about Hannah and pass it along via Facebook, Twitter and any other way you can share it.  Hannah may very well have been picked up by well meaning animal rescuers and now could be just about anywhere in the United States.  Pets who have been rescued from the storm will begin to be adopted out this weekend.

Hanah is 5 years old and weighed 110 pounds before the tornado.  She's an American Bulldog and a spayed female.  Hanah is white and has one blue eye and one hazel brown eye. 


Hanah has been seen twice since the tornado his Joplin on May 22.  Once on E 26th Street in Duquene.  Hanah lived on 27th Street.  The post-tornado photo in the slide show was taken in Duquense.  The people who live at that location have livestock.  Hanah was carried to the side of the house.  When the sirens went off in JHoplin the second night after the tornado, Hanah ran into some bushes.  Neighbors at a house two doors down spotted her in the yard later.


So far, Hanah has not been spotted at the Joplin Humane Society animal shelter.  There is a reward for her return - no questions asked.  If you see Hanah - at a local shelter or on a venue like Facebook - contact her owner, Kari Wilkes at 1-417-529-8088.  If you see Hanah in the Joplin area, please do NOT approach her.  Call that phone number to report the siting and someone will come asap.

You can read more about Hanah, her family, and the massive effort that has been launched to find her at Bring Hanah Home.