He adopted the dog and was disappointed when it didn't seem to be too fond of him.
Upset that the adoption didn't really net him a new best friend.
He decided to make a controversial move until a mysterious note changed his mind.
Sadly, Anthony's story soon went viral.
He had just moved to a new town and was excited for his new life.
He was prepared to face a bit of loneliness.
He was after all single and friendless.
So, he took the natural next step and decided to adopt a dog.
Luckily, he saw a black lab being advertised in the local paper.
According to the shelter, the dog was all good to go and ready to be placed in a loving
home.
When he called the shelter, Anthony was surprised to learn that many people had already inquired
about the hopeful pup.
However, nobody had been the perfect fit for the pooch.
Knowing he'd make a great dog Dad, Anthony hit it off to the shelter.
Along with the dog whose name was Reggie, the previous owner had provided a bed, food
bowl and toys.
It seemed unusual that someone giving up a pet would go to such great lengths to ensure
his comfort.
But Anthony shrugged it off.
The first night was rough, Reggie was so frightened that Anthony literally had to pick him up
and carry him through the doorway, just to get the poor thing inside the house.
Unfortunately, the dog's mood didn't seem to improve just by looking into his pooch’s
brown eyes.
The new owner could tell something was amiss.
Reggie looked sad as if he had gone through some awful trauma.
The shelter had no answers to his questions.
After two weeks, nothing in the dog's demeanor had changed.
With a heavy heart, Anthony made the reluctant decision to return Reggie to the shelter.
Maybe he could find happiness with another family.
He went to look for the shelter's number.
Anthony began rummaging through the boxes that Reggie had arrived with looking for the
number.
Suddenly he happened upon something entirely unexpected, an unopened envelope.
He hesitated, should he unseal it?
Before he could decide something even stranger happened.
For the first time since his adoption, Reggie appeared to perk up.
He watched intently as Anthony handled the letter, seemingly wanting him to open it.
Anthony unsealed the envelope and pulled out a note from inside, it read, “to whoever
gets my dog well I can't say that I'm happy you're reading this a letter I told the shelter
could only be opened by Reggie's new owner.”
There was more!
Intrigued Anthony went on.
“I'm not even happy writing it.”
The note continued “if you are reading this, it means I just got back from my last car
ride with my lab after dropping him off at the shelter.”
Then the letter took a very sad turn.
“He knew something was different it read.
I have packed up his bed and toys before and set them by the back door before a trip.
But this time it's like he could sense that something was wrong.”
The author of the mysterious note spoke lovingly of Reggie.
He informed Anthony that he loved tennis balls and could even fit two inside his mouth.
But he warned to be sure not to throw them by any roads because he will chase them.
To Anthony's shock and surprise.
The letter also claimed that Reggie in fact did have some training.
Apparently, he knew basic commands such as sit and roll over as well as more advanced
ones, such as shake and high five.
The letter also contained a warning.
Reggie absolutely hated the vet.
Hopefully he wouldn't be getting sick anytime soon.
Still by this point, Anthony was more confused than anything.
Who was this mysterious owner and why had he abandoned Reggie?
The letter continued on, “finally be patient with him.
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 was transfixed.
He couldn't take his eyes off the page, even though what he was reading was so sad.
“He loves to be around people,” it red, “especially me, which means this transition
is going to be hard with him going to live with someone new.”
Then the writer dropped a bombshell.
Reggie's name was not in fact, actually, Reggie.
Anthony was completely stunned this entire time.
He had been calling him by the wrong name.
The note continued, “He's a clever dog.
He'll get used to Reggie and will respond eventually, but I couldn't bear to give them
his real name for me to do that was admitting that I'd never see him again.”
The Pup's real name, the author finally revealed was tank.
Initially Anthony thought, this seemed like a relatively odd choice for a dog name.
He would soon realize that this moniker actually contained a huge clue as to the identity of
the former owner.
He named the little guy tank.
He said, because he was a US soldier and that's what he drives.
Everything was starting to make sense, but Anthony still had one more terrible truth
to learn.
The soldier who revealed himself to be named Paul Mallory had given the army express instructions
on what to do, if anything happened to him.
Give tank to a local shelter and ensure he found a loving home
Tragically, Mallory did end up passing away while saving his fellow comrades in a heroic
act of courage.
The army followed through on his final wishes and gave tank to a shelter where he ultimately
encountered Anthony.
As luck would have it, Anthony and tank totally hit it off.
They still strive to honor Mallory's legacy through bravery and kindness.
In fact, Anthony became so attached to tank.
He started doing more research on military dogs and realized tank and him are not alone
in their unique journey.