Dog survives alone for 3 weeks trapped under wreckage from Hurricane Dorian

A team of volunteers rescued an emaciated dog that had been stranded for three weeks amid wreckage left behind in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

Big Dog Ranch Rescue, a Florida nonprofit organization claiming to be the "largest no-kill cage-free dog rescue in the nation," was informed on Oct. 4 about a dog trapped under rubble in the town of Marsh Harbour, located on the Abaco Islands, part of the Bahamas hit particularly hard by the Category 5 storm in September.

Rescuers used a heat-seeking drone to locate the dog and, once they detected a patch of warmth in the remnants of a destroyed home, the team waded through the rubble to find the animal, the Palm Beach Post reports.

The gravely injured pup was found trapped under an air conditioner with another dog, which had already died, volunteers said.

The surviving dog, now aptly named Miracle, was rushed back to the rescue's ranch in Loxahatchee Groves, Fla., for treatment, where he is said to be improving each day.

“What an incredible story that we were able to discover this dog alive after being trapped for so long," Big Dog Ranch Rescue founder and president Lauree Simmons said in a statement.

Still, the pup has a long road to recovery ahead of him, including physical therapy so he can walk again. The shelter has started a fundraiser to support Miracle's recovery, which has already raised $1,150.

To date, Big Dog Ranch Rescue says it has rescued 138 dogs from the Bahamas in the wake of Dorian. Although many of the dogs have been successfully reunited with their owners, several are still looking for loving homes.

Learn how you can support the shelter's efforts.