A Dog’s Instincts and One Big Tree
Friday, November 30th, 2018
In Newport, Tennessee on a stormy evening late last spring, Ms. Rosemary sat in her living room, cozied up in her favorite easy chair. Her dog, Venus, (“Venie” for short), was curled up in her lap as they sat relaxing watching TV. Venus is a very loving dog, that’s how she got her name, after all. She is an attractive mix of German Shepherd and Whippit, full of energy…. and apparently has life saving instincts.
Rosemary and Venie sat in the chair watching various storm watches and warnings scroll across the television, listening to the wind howling outside. Rosemary had thought very little about heeding the warnings to head for cover from the storm. Suddenly Venie jumped out of her lap, slinked cautiously over to the big floor-to-ceiling window to sniff the air. While Venie peered out into the darkness, Rosemary became a tad uneasy. Venie looked at her and then looked back outside. And again. She began to pace a little, and whine, and continued to stare at Rosemary almost like she was beckoning her to move as the wind picked up even more. Then she knew; it was time to get up and go to the basement. When Rosemary stood up from her chair, Venie decided to hunker down between the loveseat and coffee table in the corner of the living room and wouldn’t move. So Rosemary did what any dog owner would do -she walked over to the corner and bent down to scoop her up in her arms. They’d quickly be on their way to the shelter of the basement.
The very moment she stooped to pick up Venie, a tree -75 foot long, 10 feet around, to be exact- came crashing straight through her roof with a force so strong the entire house shook. That gigantic tree she enjoyed many a day for its cool shade, was only a few feet from where Rosemary and Venie stood. It had completely destroyed the chair where she sat just seconds before.
Rattled, Rosemary watched Venie run under the tree and toward the back bedroom for solitude, but she quickly realized that she herself had nowhere to go. She was stuck where she was, trapped by the tree in the front corner of her home. Luckily her phone was safely tucked away in her pocket. She called for help and first responders arrived quickly and got her to safety.
She counts herself very lucky to walk away with only a knot on her head from the drywall collapsing. She jokingly credits Venie for her timing and alerting her to get up and move, otherwise she would have been sitting in that chair, or walking directly in front of the window to get to the basement door the very moment the tree fell.
The days that followed were full of stress and turmoil. She had the best tree crew she knew of come down from her hometown in Ohio to her rescue. Friends and family came from all over the region to get the tree off and out of her house. Her family even created a picture album titled “A Family Tree” to document the removal and hard work of friends and family. Luckily she and Venie had a place to stay nearby.
Testerman Restoration got the phone call to go out and demolish the house and build it back in its entirety.
Our crews went to work.
(Can you spot Venie?)
The final product is something that Rosemary and Venie are very happy to call home…
It’s a project like this that makes you think, makes you thankful, and makes you proud to be a part of something special.
Thank you, Rosemary and Venie for letting us play a role in your silver lining.
As always, if we can help you with your silver lining, call us up anytime at 865-691-1169.
We sincerely hope that you and yours have a wonderful Christmas season and the happiest of happy in the coming year! Hug your family (and furry family) tight, and always stay thankful for blessings in every form!
Merry Christmas!
-Amanda