On October 4th, a stray Beagle mix in an overcrowded animal shelter in Florence, Ala., was loaded into a gas chamber with 18 other dogs marked for death. 21-year-old Cody Berry, the worker assigned this awful task, locked the door, turned a key and pressed a button that releases carbon monoxide into the chamber. He returned later, The Star-Ledger reports, and heard something moving inside the chamber.

"I opened the door, he stood right up and walked right out," Berry said. "He was fine."

Yes, the little Beagle mix was spooked, but okay. All the other dogs were dead. News soon got out of this invincible supermutt and he made his way to a halfway house in Tennessee, where he was dubbed Daniel, for the bible story about the slave who survived a lion's den. He then joined 11 other dogs in a tiny airplane and made his way to New Jersey, where he landed safely and is currently being prepared for adoption. You can keep up with his adventures here. [Star-Ledger, Video via AP]