One day after the family had a burial, Mugsy showed up at the front door.
Unfortunately, sad things happen to dogs, and it's even more difficult when youngsters are involved and need to hear the dreadful news. Glenn Maloney (Glenn Maloney) has just witnessed a car accident involving the domestic dog Mugsy, and he is sure that the impact killed the four-foot-tall dog. He needs to tell the children that Mugsy, a loyal 4-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, is dead. This is not an easy task.
The father told PEOPLE, "I lifted Mugsy up, but he died in my arms." It seems as if all hope was lost. Glenn was checking on Megan and Kevin when the dog was hit by a car. He told them to stay inside the house after hearing the hit because they didn't need to watch this dreadful incident from a close distance. Glenn walked over to check on the puppy, but he wasn't breathing and there was no heartbeat, according to the man. He decided to bury the dog and wait a time before informing the children.
“I was irritated. So I buried him quickly and didn't even inform the kids,” Maloney told Oprah. “I didn't have the courage to inform the kids until around seven o'clock that night. Mugsy had died.” When it was time to tell the children, they decided to hold a farewell ceremony in the backyard.
Little Megan wanted to put a cross in front of his grave, and her father assured her that they could do it the next morning. The family went back inside, saddened, after saying their prayers and saying their goodbyes. The next day, when they heard the noise around 5:30 in the morning, they were taken aback. It was a scratching sound coming from the front door. Maloney decided to investigate.
As soon as he opened the door, Mugsy plunged into his arms! “It was like a little tail wagging at 90 mph,” he recollects. The family couldn't comprehend what had just occurred and thought the whole event was terrifying. Glenn's girlfriend assumed he must have buried another dog that resembled Mugsy, but he informed her that he was certain it was him because of the dog tags.
The man then decided to dig up the grave to check on it - the grave had been dug up. Mugsy was covered in grime, and his eyes were bloodshot, according to Viola. “Jack Russells are bred to hunt foxes. I imagine when he woke up in that hole, he just believed it was another old hole and dug his way out, not realizing it was his grave.”
Mugsy must have dug himself out of his own tomb as soon as he awoke, the vets reasoned. He was most likely unconscious for some time, which is why he had a faint heartbeat and his owner assumed he wasn't breathing anymore. “The vet indicated he probably dug his way out after six hours,” Viola told Oprah. “His heart rate and everything else were so slow that it was difficult to tell he was still alive. He didn't have any vital signs.” A pretty incredible story, but one that fortunately ended well. The Oprah segment featuring the family and Mugsy can be seen below.