A dog and his owner have been reunited after the animal was found under a pile of rubble more than a week after a tornado ripped through a US city.

Jacob Montgomery of Washington, Illinois, and his dog Dexter were separated when the tornado wrecked his third floor apartment on November 17.

A neighbour sent him a Facebook message nine days later to tell him Dexter had been found under debris where the apartment used to be.

An animal rescuing organisation had coaxed the six-month-old puppy out of the rubble with hot dogs.

A vet found Dexter to be malnourished, but without any major injuries. Mr Montgomery says as soon as the dog saw him "his tail started going".