Iowa dog reunites with family after crash in West Virginia

Hennessy, a dog from Iowa, has been reunited with her family after surviving a fiery crash in West Virginia.

She was riding in the cab of a tractor-trailer with her owner, Jeffrey Simons, of Wellsburg, Iowa, when he lost control of the rig on June 23.

Hennessy was pulled from the cab by people who stopped to help after the crash. Simons died in the crash.

Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association in West Virginia took Hennessy in after the crash.

KCHA Community Engagement Manager Angie Gillenwater said most of the phone number on Hennessy’s collar was rubbed off, leaving only the area code and three numbers.

With that limited information and more than 100,000 followers on the KCHA Facebook page, Gillenwater said the community helped track down the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown, where Hennessy was adopted in 2019.

Hennessy’s family drove all the way from Iowa to West Virginia to bring her home Monday. The shelter said she went from being timid and scared to excited and full of joy.

Donations are being accepted on Cash App and Venmo to help pay for gas, hotel stays, and the unexpected costs of owning a dog.