How much is that doggie in the window? He’s FREE!

A brief public service announcement: Sweet dog available to good home. Details below are from an email — please leave a comment if you’d like more info or to contact the dog’s foster home.

Date: 6/12/2006 8:48:41 AM
Subject: Wonderful 5 yr. male black lab needs home

Tyler is a wonderful 5-year-old neutered male black lab with a sad story. He was given as a puppy to a senior-aged woman who had lost her husband, oldest son, and elderly dog and was having difficulty coping with her grief. He became her devoted and much-loved best friend. For the past three years he and his owner had lived with her youngest son and his family of four children, now ages 10, 12, 13 & 15. Very sadly, his owner just died, and even more sadly, her son, who would be the natural “next home”, cannot keep him because his wife died of cancer just two months ago, and he is overwhelmed.

Tyler is currently being fostered (north of Pittsburgh, near Zelienople) by a family friend and is bewildered by the changes in his life. He was very attached to his owner and is missing her, but will be able to bond again – he’s trying to bond with his foster mom’s mother-in-law, but the foster family already has three dogs, one of whom does not like Tyler.

He loves people, is good with kids, was gentle best friend to a 70-something grandmother, is completely housebroken, was trained to an electric fence (but hasn’t had one for the past three years), rides well in the car, and is a sweetie. He has never been walked much, though, so will need to learn to walk well on a leash if walks are in his future.

His foster mom will try to locate his veterinary history records – he’s seen a vet regularly throughout his life and is in good health.

He would make a good family dog, but he was devoted to his owner, and when living in her son’s busy household he spent most of his time with “his lady.” He is likely to bond most strongly with the female head-of-house in his new family. He’s doing ok with the foster family’s two female dogs, but he’s a people-dog more than a dog-dog, and his foster mom thinks he would do best as an only dog, where he can soak up all the love for himself (that’s not a definite, though). He needs to go to a person, couple or family who can promise to be a forever home for him, and help him heal a broken heart.

If you think you might be the right one for Tyler, please comment below and I’ll forward the contact info to you. If not, please pass the word to your dog-loving friends!