CORINTH, Ky. (LEX News) — An EF-1 tornado that ripped across four counties for 22 miles left a trail of destruction at Tri State Animal Rescue in Owen County, damaging dog houses, crushing fences, and scattering 15 of the rescue's 62 dogs.
Ed Lucas has owned and operated Tri State Animal Rescue in Corinth since 2011, dedicating his life to helping sick, old, and traumatized dogs find loving homes.
"It's grown a little bigger than I thought it would. It's a lot of work. A lot of dedication I've put into it. It's what I live for," Lucas said.
The tornado sent trees crashing into the housing where the dogs are kept, destroying the structures and fencing that kept them safe.
Of the 15 missing dogs, two are beagles and the rest are Mountain Feists. Efforts to recover them have faced setbacks.
"We've stuck live traps out, and the county has stuck live traps out. We've actually tranquilized several of them. But unfortunately the tranquilizers did not work," Lucas said.
Lucas is asking anyone who spots the dogs to call the rescue rather than feed them or attempt to keep them on their property.
"Well we've been getting phone calls that they've spotted them. We've been asking them really not to feed them because we don't want them to stay on their property. They've all been vaccinated and stuff. But our main concern is call us, and we'll go out and try to trap the dog," Lucas said.
Lucas believes the dogs are still in Owen County and says recovering them is urgent. Him and his colleague have spent the last two days walking for up to 16 hours to find the pups.
"It's very dire to get them back, and very important to us, because we don't want any property damage. Or people shooting the dogs thinking they're a stray dog. They do belong here. It's our responsibility to catch them," Lucas said.
During the tornado, the shelter also lost all of it's food. Lucas is asking anyone who can to send monetary donations, so they can repair the fencing and dog houses. Or to donate bags of food to help feed the dogs.
If you'd like to help out the shelter, you can drop off food at 1050 Cross Road Pike, Corinth, KY 41010 or contact Lucas at (859) 491-1091.
Kayleigh Randle is committed to covering the stories that matter to you. If you have an idea, please reach out to Kayleigh at kayleigh.randle@wlex.tv.
