One month after the Camp Fire decimated her neighborhood in Northern California, a woman had the reunion of a lifetime when she went back to the ruins of her house and found her dog waiting for her.
According to Andrea Gaylord of ABC10, Madison, an Anatolian shepherd mix, was found resting peacefully on the desolate ground when Andrea went back to see what was left of her Paradise home.
There isn't a kinder animal out there, Gaylord told the outlet. "You couldn't pull it off,"
K9 Paw Print Rescue claims that Gaylord was unable to get home to save Madison and his canine sibling Miguel as the flames intensified last month. Due to strict evacuation rules, Gaylord was unable to return to her neighborhood or search for her pets for several weeks.
Gaylord believed her pups had survived the devastating wildfires, which destroyed 13,972 homes and claimed the lives of 85 people, and she asked local animal rescue volunteer Shayla Sullivan for help, according to ABC10.
Sullivan eventually found Miguel in Citrus Heights, a town 86 miles south of Paradise, but she kept searching for his brother on Facebook, whom she claimed to have seen "a couple times deep in the Canyon."
Sullivan said, "I knew [Madison] took his work seriously and wasn't going to be an easy catch," and she left fresh food and drink on Gaylord's property in the hopes that Madison would come back.
To tempt Madison, she even considered putting some Gaylord-scented clothing out on the grounds.
One month after leaving, Gaylord went back to her house to find Madison anxiously awaiting her and guarding what was left of their belongings.
Gaylord said to ABC10, "Imagine the loyalty of hanging around and waiting in the worst of circumstances." It was quite emotional,
The story of Madison and Gaylord is not the first encouraging example of a pet reunion following Camp Fire devastation.
Leahna Copsey's Paradise, California, home was also completely destroyed by the devastating wildfire. The family dog Ella was watching over the remaining house when officials arrived to evaluate the damage.
Copsey explained to the Visalia Times-Delta that "She was defending it." She was keeping watch over the last house on the block.
Like Gaylord, Copsey and her family were unable to go back home to their dog before orders to evacuate were given. Fortunately, Ella's family called animal control and the local police, who were able to watch over her and give her food and water.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Copsey's daughter Kayla Westman said, "We were glad to hear she survived the fire." "Considering everything she's been through, she's doing well... We are merely grateful that she lived because there are other other pets who are in much worse circumstances.