WYOMING, MI – Laura Kieda was working her evening shift at the Well Mannered Dog Center when a tornado packing estimated winds of more than 100 mph hit the building.

As ceiling tile and wood beams began falling around her, Kieda's first instinct was to protect her head. Then she began helping the 35 frightened dogs around her.

“When the ceiling started to fall around me, it was pretty scary … there was so much debris,” Kieda said. “Then I immediately thought of the dogs and tried to grab as many as I could and move them to a safer place.”

Kieda was the lone employee working at the center on Clay Avenue when the tornado hit shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 6.

She called Kathryn Snyder, the kennel’s owner, who rallied a crew to rush out and help move the dogs to the neighboring property. Two-by-two, they moved the dogs still in the center before heading out to wrangle those that had gotten loose.

All but one was accounted for and kept by Kent County Animal Control until their owners could pick them up.

The remaining dog - a greyhound named Puckett - has been spotted in the area and is uninjured, but frightened.

Unlike other kennels, the dogs at Snyder’s center are not caged and always have a person working with them - which Snyder believes saved them from a horrific fate.

“Laura did a hell of a job,” Snyder said. “For her to hold her head and get the dogs where they needed to be … Last night I had three things I wanted: I wanted Laura, I wanted the dogs and I wanted my dad’s knife out of my office. I got all three of them out and the rest can go.”

After the tornado ripped through the 26,000-square-foot facility, it began to fill with water, debris and gas. Snyder described the sound of the gas pouring out of snapped pipes “like a waterfall.”

Both Kieda’s and Snyder’s vehicles were totaled by the tornado, as was the building, but no injuries were reported.

On Monday, regular clients stopped by to support Snyder and offer their help in the clean-up process.

“We’re not letting her quit,” said Bryce Lichtig, a trainer at the center. “We’ll come back, bigger and better.”

Snyder said she plans to begin the long process of opening a new center. Kieda and other Well Mannered Dog Center employees said they hope to continue their work at a new location in the near future.

“I’m a huge dog lover and animal lover overall,” Kieda said. “This is what I want to do, work with animals. It was really lucky for me to find a job that allowed me to do that.

“Mostly I’m just grateful that I didn’t get hurt and that I could get as many dogs out. I’ve lost my car and my job and might even lose my apartment because I don’t know if I can afford it after losing my job.”

Justin P. Hicks covers a variety of news for MLive | The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at jhicks3@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter @justinphicks.