"Sandy dog" rescued from euthanization

BELLE HARBOR, N.Y. Thanks to social media and some quick-thinking, a dog who ran away from his owners' Hurricane Sandy-damaged home in New York was spared from being put down by an animal shelter, and is now reunited with his family, WCBS New York reported.

Christine O'Donovan's home in Belle Harbor was wrecked by the storm. When work crews were assessing the damage in mid-November, Buster, O'Donovan's Ridgeback Shepherd mix, was spooked and took off.

"He ran out and just disappeared," O'Donovan told WCBS reporter Drew Levinson.

O'Donovan said she and her children searched for a month throughout the neighborhood and beyond for Buster. On Dec. 12, O'Donovan's friend, Kim Fraser, went on the Animal Care and Control Web site and came across a picture of Buster. He was scheduled to be euthanized the next morning.

"At this time, it maybe 10:00, 10:30 at night, said Fraser, "and there's no way to reach the shelter. There's no direct line. Once they close, they close. You can't go there.

Fraser, who runs the animal rescue group Sasha's Mission messaged the shelter to save the dog but wasn't sure if it would see it. She then contacted O'Donovan and told her to get to the shelter as soon as possible.

Fortunately, O'Donovan arrived at the shelter to retrieve Buster. "I cried," she said upon getting her dog back. "I'm so happy. I love my dog."

She said she is going to do all she can to make sure Buster doesn't run away again. "Now he's back home," said O'Donovan.