Deaf Dog Unfazed by 'Tornado, Sirens, Hail, Thunder'—Just Wants a Nap

While severe storms and tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma over the weekend, forcing residents to seek shelter, one deaf dog seemed completely unfazed by the chaos.

Several tornadoes battered part of the state and caused injury to over 100 people and at least four deaths. Homes were destroyed, power lines were down, and now there are warnings that more storms are coming to those in Tornado Alley on Wednesday.

Spencer Brickell, her husband, and their eight animals—four cats and four dogs—kept the news on for nearly 13 hours when storms wreaked havoc in Oklahoma, wanting to stay updated with how long the severe weather risk would last. When Brickell thought they were in the clear, she slipped into her pajamas, only to get the alert a tornado was coming straight for their town.

Brickell told Newsweek that she and her husband quickly stepped into action to do their duties once they heard to seek shelter. She collected the dogs while he got each cat into a carrier and brought them into their storm shelter. Brickell had the harnesses ready for their dogs, one of the ways the couple prepares in case they ever have to leave in a hurry.

"Getting them down there is quite the adventure because most dogs don't want to go in the storm shelter or underground," Brickell said. "I picked them up and passed them to my husband in the storm shelter."

While the dogs were panting and nervous, their Dalmatian Zelda was calm, cool, and collected. In the April 28 TikTok video posted to the account @spotted_dog_books, Zelda sat near the wall, nodding off. Zelda is deaf in both ears, Brickell explained, and while she, her husband, and the rest of the animals heard the "tornado, sirens, hail, thunder," Zelda was focused on getting to bed.

Hail and rain were pounding on the metal storm door with sirens blaring in the distance, leaving an eerie feeling. Brickell said Zelda knew something was going on based on the fact the other animals were nervous, but she stayed calm.

Her relaxed personality during the situation even helped out their golden retriever Charlie. Since this was Charlie's first time in the storm shelter, he kept turning to Zelda for comfort. Brickell noted that they also had to stay calm as the animals were reading into their emotions.

They huddled together in the storm shelter for about an hour before getting the green light. It was pouring while heading back inside, but Brickell said they're all safe and sound.

"I'm really thankful because [the video] sparked a lot of conversation about what to do in severe weather and brought awareness about what has happened in Tornado Alley because a lot of people had lost homes and gone through these traumatic events," Brickell said.

Tornado Preparedness

Pet owners are advised to prepare ahead of time, if possible, to help keep your fur babies as safe as possible.

American Humane shared a few tips to get tornado-ready including identifying a large enough area for your entire family and pets, practicing getting to the tornado-safe area as quickly as possible, removing any dangerous items from that area including tools or toxic products, and keeping preparedness kits in the area or close-by. It's also important to note where your pet hides and how to quickly and safely get them in a hurry.

If evacuation is possible, be sure to bring your pets along with you as well as the pet preparedness kit and their proper identification. However, it is not always possible to evacuate and if that is the case, seek shelter in your tornado-safe room.

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