UPS driverKatie Newhouser had a very special relationship with Tina and her Pit Bull Leo. Whenever she arrived with a package, they would both go out to meet her for a chat and a pat.
Source: Facebook/Katie Newhouser
Newhouser explained how their special friendship started to The Dodo:
I saw Tina walking Leo and stopped to pet him. That's how I started talking to Tina. That's actually how I've started talking to most of my customers. If they've got a dog, I'm stopping.
For over a year, the unlikely trio would meet and greet each other on Tina's driveway, with Leo always particularly excited to see his friend and her van.
Source: Facebook/Katie Newhouser
However, when Newhouser came back from vacation and made her next delivery at their complex, she noticed that Tina wasn't home. Instead, she found the lady's son, Cannon. She described:
I didn’t think anything of it, because she was looking to move because the association of the condo was giving Leo a hard time because he was a pit bull, and they didn’t really want him there.
It was only when the UPS driver decided to check up on Tina by looking at her Facebook page that she found out the tragic news. Tina had passed away a few weeks earlier.
Source: Facebook/Katie Newhouser
Devastated by the news, and worried for the well-being of the dog, she got into contact with Cannon to make sure that Leo would be cared for after such a terrible turn of events.As a member of the Marine Corps, he explained to her that he would soon be leaving. It was then that the kind lady knew what she had to do. She offered to take the dog in, at first just on a temporary basis:
I knew he had nowhere to go, and I didn’t want him to end up in a shelter, and with somebody who was not going to be good for him.
Source: Facebook/Katie Newhouser
Luckily, when she arrived to bring new canine companion home to her other three dogs, Leo knew exactly who she was and reacted as he always did, excited and happy.While he has settled into his new home well and gets along with his new four pawed friends, Newhouser could tell that the canine was devastated by the loss of his human, saying that the poor dog 'would whine a lot.'However, Leo has now found a permanent home with the kind lady and her three dogs and, although he is still sad sometimes, Newhouser is ready to give him all the love and attention that he needs.
* * *
At Holidog, we aim to improve the lives of your furry friends. Enjoy your holidays with peace of mind, knowing your pet is in great hands (find a petsitter near you) and spoil them with our monthly subscription box filled with yummy treats and toys (get your free box here). You can count on us!
.png)
