Family about to bury dog gets happy surprise

YELM, Wash. — If Scamp the dog was living up to his name by playing a trick on his owners, a grandmother in Washington isn't laughing.

Reta McKinlay thought her grandchildren's puppy died after it escaped through a fence at her Yelm home and was hit by a car. The terrier-Shih Tzu mix was bleeding, his eyes fixed. He wasn't breathing.

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McKinlay told The Olympian her husband wrapped him in a blanket on Dec. 3 and left him under a wheelbarrow to keep animals away. They prepared to bury him the next morning.

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She told her 6-year-old twin grandchildren that Scamp had gone to heaven.

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But when her husband returned, Scamp was sitting up.

The family has spent $3,000 on veterinary bills since. McKinlay says Scamp's return is the family's Christmas present.