piedmont, where one family lost their home and thought they'd also lost their beloved pet. ed lavendera tells us what happened the next. >> stay in there, paisley! >> reporter: these are the frantic moments. >> it's coming right over us. we're right in its path. >> reporter: just before frank wood scrambled up the stairs to his balcony and saw the tornadic beast for the first time, staring him straight in the eyes. >> that's once in a lifetime. you'll probably never see this again. and it's moving fast. >> holy crap. >> it's huge. >> reporter: wood rushed his children down into the garage and locked themselves in a rock-solid reinforced safe room, but they couldn't grab the family's dog in time, a boxer named roxy. >> she was basically standing there, just staring at me, and i'm trying to get her to come in, and basically, you've got to shut the door. >> i thought she was just going