A tornado that took a Kenly woman's life last November also left her pets homeless.

Three dogs that belonged to 61-year-old Maryland Gomez ended up at the Johnston Animal Hospital.

"They were in shock," said office manager Amy Ryan. "It's normal for animals, like humans, to not know exactly what's going on, be a little disoriented."

One dog was seriously injured and had to be euthanized. Another was adopted by a firefighter in Smithfield.

Jack and Debbie Bollinger of Archer Lodge adopted the third dog, Oscar, within days.

It took much longer for Oscar to get used to his new home.

"Oscar was pretty traumatized when he first came over here," said Jack Bollinger. "It took him probably a month for him to come around and actually come sit on our laps."

Debbie Bollinger added, "he just wanted love and attention continuously and we give him that. And he's become a big part of our family."

At times, memories of the tornado still seem to come back to him.

"He'll come out from underneath the bed and he'll jump up on the bed and he is trembling, you know, like he is scared," said Debbie Bollinger.

But most of the time, he's just like any other dog.

"They have no social anxiety at this point other than being spoiled. I've seen photos of one of the animals and absolutely spoiled rotten," said Amy Ryan.

"He's just become my buddy," said Jack Bollinger.