The ability of a dog to sense danger beforehand saved 60 precious lives in Mandi's Siyathi village on the night of June 30 when monsoon fury struck several parts of the district.
Fourteen people died, five sustained injuries and search operations are underway to trace 28 missing persons who were washed away in 10 cloudbursts, followed by flash floods and a landslide on the intervening night of June 30 and July 1.
Recalling the night, a villager said it was raining heavily, and a pet dog, who was sleeping on the second floor of a multi-storey house, started barking and howling loudly.
Awaken by the barking, the dog's owner, Narender, went to check on him, only to find a big crack in the wall of the house from where water was seeping.
Immediately, Narender raised an alarm and woke up others in the area. Over 60 people ran for safety, leaving behind everything, and in no time, a landslide turned the village into rubble, the villager said.