As we were all witness to, the tsunami in Tohoku has ripped through the region with such force that cars were smashed into houses, debris was swept for miles through rice fields, and entire families drowned in their homes. Travel was extremely difficult because of miles-long lines at gas stations and the rationing of gas. There were few signs of life in the hardest-hit areas, but amongst those that were, some citizens refused to leave their badly damaged homes because many evacuation centers are not allowing companion animals inside.

Take the story of one woman who was carrying her dog, a young sheltie which was terrified by the earthquake and aftershocks and the chaos that ensued.

She had risked her life for three days while staying in her still-shaking house because the evacuation center would not allow her to take her dog with her. She was finally able to take her dog to a family member’s home in an area of the city that had not been hit by the tsunami.

At one evacuation center that was housing some animals along with people, one of the center coordinator, when he heard the tsunami warning, rushed to warn his neighbors after letting his dog out into the yard. He tried to get back to his house to get his dog, but the tsunami was rapidly approaching, and he was forced to go to the school on higher ground.

Six hours later, one of the people staying in the center said that they saw a dog outside. The man went to look, and it was his. The dog had never been to the school before, but somehow his instincts led him there. It had managed to swim through deep water to be reunited with his guardian.

JapanProbe has collected a series of videos that show more stories of man’s best friend (plus one cat) surviving one of man’s worst nightmares: