BOYDS, Md. — A spree of unexpected Thunderstorm and Tornado Warnings in the DMV region left a service dog training center in shambles. Damage from a tornado that touched down in Boyds with winds up to 80 MPH left a huge mess of debris, broken walls, and pieces to the building that are no longer salvageable.
The storm that swept through parts of the Maryland region has left remains of what used to be a space for animals to help those in need. The Warrior Canine Connect buildings were among several properties damaged.
The Warrior Canine Connect is an organization that trains service dogs to be paired with Veterans who have mobility impairments. And one of its buildings blew through the area. The roof was left scattered around the property on Friday morning.
"It sets us back with our operations," Executive Director Rick Yount said. "You know, we're scrambling, how do we continue with our training and veterans training our dogs? We will, but it's really created the challenge that we didn't need right now, and certainly didn't want.”
Luckily, no one was hurt and the puppies were just feet away from the building that was blown over.
Yount said he expects Friday's storm caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage.
The pups were shaken up a bit by the aftermath, but everyone and all of the animals were safe.
As of now, the organization has stopped all operations.
"Number one is making sure our dogs are taken care of and then just trying to continue our programming and making it work until we can get that large barn renovated," Yount said.
Yount said when he got the alert on his phone that a tornado warning was in effect, the moments after went by very quickly.
“Grabbing dogs, getting the dogs to safety, getting all the humans to safety, and just getting everyone into the basement as quickly as possible," Yount said. "It came through very, very quickly.”
Friday morning storm left behind a trail of damage. Downed trees, homes, cars, and power lines were affected by the harsh winds and untimely weather. Most damage reports came from Loudoun and Montgomery counties. No major injuries were reported.
“I thought is that the train that I've heard about with tornado approaching, but I believe it was all the sheeting, the steel that came off the roof just being strewn around," Yount said. "We have two by fours sticking out of walls of trailers and there's a lot of, lot of action.”
Yount said they're in need of volunteers, equipment, and financial support to get back where they need to be. They have opened a donation website HERE if you're interested in donating.