On the mend: Mason underwent surgery last week to pin his broken front legs after managing to crawl home on them two weeks after being blown away by a tornadoHe probably didn't have to walk 300 miles.
But it was certainly an 'incredible journey' for Mason, the plucky pup who crawled home on two broken legs after a tornado tossed him up and left him for dead.
The scrappy dog had been hiding in a garage in North Smithfield, Alabama, when the storm hit on April 27.
It whipped through the community, destroying houses and uprooting trees, but when it had passed Mason was nowhere to be seen.
His family had all but given up hope when two weeks later they returned home to sift through belongings only to find the dog on their doorstep.
He was in a bad way with what appeared to be broken limbs.
Four legs not so good: Before his op Mason was still having to hunker down to walkThe family rushed him to the Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control shelter where veterinarians gave him once over.
'He's got two broken legs and they're distal radial unal fractures,' Dr Barbara Benhart told Wavy-TV 10.
'They've not been able to be in alignment so neither one of them have healed so he had to crawl on two broken legs to get home,' she added.
Serious: Dr Barbara Benhart with the Birmingham Jefferson County Animal Control shelter said Mason had distal radial unal fractures in both front legsMason's owners asked the shelter to look after him while they try and put their own lives back together.
And with the help of donations and the generosity of a nearby veterinary clinic Mason underwent an operation to fix plates into his two front legs last week.
He is now doing well and will go home to his family in six weeks time, a spokesman from the animal shelter said.
Scene: The tornado whipped through the Jefferson County community destroying houses and uprooting trees, left. Mason had bee hiding in his family's garage, right, when the storm hit
Deadly: A wave of deadly tornadoes hit the state on April 27, including a massive F5 one that destroyed Tuscaloosa, which is around an hour's away from North SmithfieldNow the pup has become something of a celebrity and even has his own Facebook page with 1,255 friends and counting.
He also speaks 'woof' according a list of language skills on his profile.
Phil Doster, who works at the shelter, said the amount of animals brought in because of the storm is starting to taper off, but added that Mason's injuries were the most dramatic they'd seen in an animal that had survived so long on its own.
Mascot: Mason has become something of a celebrity dog after attracting more than a thousand friends on his very own Facebook page
Adventure: Mason's tale smacks of the fictional story of the three pets in 1993 remake Homeward Bound: The incredible journey, in which they travel 300 miles to get home'For an animal to go through what he's gone through and not to be ugly, to be happy for any companionship is remarkable,' Mr Doster told Wavy-TV.
'We're honoured to be part of his recovery,' he added.
The shelter has been inundated with pets, mostly dogs and cats that have been lost in the storms
After tornado, dog crawls back home [CNN: 5-19-2011]
source: dailymail