The man in this story had recently moved into a new town. He was just about to settle in but something did not feel quite right. He knew that there was something missing from his life. Anyone who has ever moved to a new city before can definitely relate to this one, right? He figured that he should head to the local shelter to see if he could find a new companion.
He met a dog named Reggie who fit the bill. Unfortunately, the two did not hit it off. The man was concerned about the long term fit. He waited for two weeks, just like the shelter said. However, nothing seemed to be working. The two did not seem “meant to be”. The man was preparing to return the animal and when he went through the dog’s stuff, his mind changed.
He came across a note that the former owner had left with Reggie. Once he read the former owner’s words, he knew that he had to keep the dog. As it turns out, Reggie had been through a lot over the course of his life. The dog did not have access to his toys and this made it tougher for him to successfully settle in at his new location.
The former owner’s letter offered some much needed insight. The man would need to offer Reggie some cut up hot dogs, give him his own toys to play with and be understanding. As it turns out, the past owner was never married. He was the only person that Reggie ever knew and he liked to be included in his life as much as possible. There was one more key piece of information, too.
The dog’s name was not actually Reggie. The dog’s name was actually Tank and if you guessed that his former owner was forced to give him up because of an army deployment, you are 100 percent correct. The former owner was still holding out hope that he will see his pal again one day and that is why he could not bear to give the shelter the dog’s real name.
Sadly, Paul Mallory is never going to get that chance. The man recognized the name immediately and remembered that he had passed away in the line of duty. The man began to call the dog Tank and the two started to get along much better. The dog understood that the new owner had his best interests at heart and the two began to bond. We wish Tank and his new owner all of the best going forward!
h/t: ilovemydogsomuch
