When Jonathan Byler Dann emerged from the shelter of his basement on Sunday along with his wife and four young kids, he found his Washington, Illinois, home had been completely destroyed.

The EF4 tornado that consumed his home and many others gave Jon plenty to despair over, but the only thing that concerned him at that moment was the whereabouts of the family dog, Maggie.

Having been with Jon since she was 4-month-old, the now-11-year-old pup was as much of a family member as any human, but the fast-approaching storm terrified Maggie and she simply refused to leave her kennel.

After the twister had passed and Jon became aware of the magnitude of its destruction, he immediately assumed the worst.

"We lost Maggie today," he posted on Facebook alongside photos of the rubble he used to call a home.

But, as it so happened, the dog was still very much alive, and some 30 hours later, while sifting through the remains of the residence, friends heard a "faint bark" and pulled away a piece of carpeting to reveal a buried-but-alive Maggie.

"I felt intense relief and elation," said Jon, who was also in a panic over Maggie's injuries.

The dog did indeed suffer some broken bones, but vets at the Teegarden Veterinary Clinic expect her to recover.

"So glad she’s still with us," Jon said.

For more on this story and the rest of the photos visit Weather.com.

[H/T: Reddit, photos via CHARLES LEDFORD/UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS/WEATHER.COM, Facebook, imgur]