Letter Uncovers Surprising Details About This Shelter Dog’s Former Owner

After moving to a new town, Anthony thought that adopting a dog would be a great way to become a part of his new community. He found a dog named Reggie, but unfortunately, the two of them didn’t click.

After relocating to a new town, Anthony found himself in a difficult spot. He was single and without any friends. Despite this, he was excited to embark on a new chapter in his life. However, moving to a new place without any connections can be a lonely experience.

While reading a local newspaper, Anthony came across an advertisement for a black Labrador that was available for adoption and ready to be placed in a forever home.  Excited at the prospect of having a new furry companion, he quickly picked up the phone and called the shelter.

Anthony couldn’t believe it when he learned that a large number of people had already called about the black lab that was listed for adoption. Despite this, the staff at the shelter assured him that the dog was still available and that none of the potential adopters had been a good fit for the dog. 

When Anthony arrived at the shelter, Reggie, the black labrador, was waiting for him. But this was only part of it. The previous owner left Reggie with a nice cushy bed, new tennis balls to play with, and a food bowl with his name on it.

Even though Anthony thought it unusual that his new black lab had so many belongings, he tried to be positive and saw the advantages in all this. He believed that it could only be a good thing for a dog to have familiar objects that have the right smell when moving to a new place.

Reggie and Anthony’s return home was not as easy as Anthony had hoped. Reggie seemed hesitant and unwilling to enter when they arrived at the house. Despite Anthony’s attempts to encourage him, the large dog remained stubbornly outside. 

Reggie appeared to be sad, as if something had happened to him, which upset him a lot. Anthony called the animal shelter to inquire about the dog’s emotional well-being, but they did not know anything about it. 

Despite his best efforts to make Reggie feel at home, Anthony found that the dog remained sad and distant, even after a couple of weeks of living with him. He tried various activities and toys to try to lift the dog’s spirits, but nothing seemed to work. 

Despite his best efforts to bond with his new dog, things were not going well between Anthony and Reggie. According to Anthony, Reggie had a tendency to be destructive and had caused damage to a few of his belongings, including some shoes and boxes that had been left out. 

Anthony looked for the phone number from the shelter because he had made his decision. As he searched through the box that Reggie had arrived in, he noticed an unopened envelope that he had previously overlooked, hidden at the bottom of the box. 

As he held the envelope in his hand, ready to open it, Anthony couldn’t help but notice a sudden change in Reggie’s behavior. The dog seemed to perk up and fix his gaze on the letter. It was as if he were waiting for Anthony to discover its contents.

As he took a deep breath, Anthony couldn’t shake the feeling that something important was about to be explained. He had no idea what to expect from the letter, but he couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation as he tore open the envelope and removed the single sheet of paper.

Intrigued by the beginning of the letter, Anthony continued reading to find out more about Reggie and his previous owner. The letter went on to reveal that the previous owner had recently left Reggie at the shelter and was not happy about it. 

As he read on, Anthony was unaware that the letter was about to reveal a heartbreaking story about Reggie’s recent past. It stated, “He knew something was different.” His previous owner had packed the dog’s belongings and left them by the door before. 

Anthony was reading each word from the letter with great attention, eagerly looking for why Reggie was abandoned at the shelter. He wouldn’t find out this until the end of the letter, but he would learn some helpful information about Reggie before that.

The letter continued, “He loves tennis balls. The more, the merrier.” He claimed to sometimes think Reggie was part squirrel due to the way he hoarded as many tennis balls as he could fit in his mouth. So far, he had fit two but always tried for three.

As Anthony read through the letter left by the previous owner of his adopted dog, he was amazed by what he had learned. It seemed that Reggie had actually been trained to perform a variety of tricks. Not only could he sit and roll over, but he could also shake and give a high-five when asked. 

The letter not only informed Anthony of Reggie’s professional training and obsession with playing fetch with tennis balls, but it also included a warning–Reggie did not like being anywhere near the vet. He was always trying to hide when he knew he was being taken to the scary vet.

Anthony continued to read, “Finally, be patient with him,” the letter read. “I have never been married, so it’s only been me in his whole life. He’s used to going everywhere with me, so please include him on your daily car rides if you can.”

Anthony continued to read the letter as he was more and more on the edge of his seat. The letter further explained, “He loves to be around people, especially me. Which means this transition is going to be hard with him going to live with someone new.”

Going down the words on the page, Anthony found something that shocked him. The name of the dog was not actually Reggie. It all made sense because whenever Anthony tried to call Reggie by his name, he got absolutely no response.

Reggie’s real name was, in fact, Tank. Anthony did not think it was a suitable name for a friendly, calm black Labrador. But when he said Tank, the dog perked his ears. Anthony felt a lot of joy when he saw this.

The next thing Anthony found out was the previous owner’s name. It was Paul Mallory. The United States military man gave special instructions to the army on what to do with Tank.

Mallory, while attempting to rescue his fellow soldiers, did not make it. That was his last mission. In recognition of his bravery, he was given a Silver Star posthumously. He was a national hero.

Anthony finally got to the end of the letter with tears in his eyes. He carefully folded it, put it back in the envelope, and set it back in its box. He knew everything would be okay now.

Anthony petted and told Tank, “It’s me now, Tank, just you and me. Your old pal gave you to me. So what do you say we play some ball?” Tank perked his ears, and when Anthony said one more time, “tennis balls,” he knew what to do.