Adopter Name

Mike Fiorito and Mike Burdge

Rescue Dog’s Name

Howie

Where Did You Find Your Dog?

We adopted Howie from the Cincinnati Lab Rescue when he was two years old. He had been chained to a car when the shelter took him.

Tell Us About the Moment When You Knew that You Two Were Meant for Each Other.

When we first met Howie, he looked so vulnerable and sweet. He had sad brown eyes, a flat looking coat, but did not seem overly enthused to meet us. We learned that several others had passed over Howie, since he was not a perky, wagging- tail kind of pup. We spent time with Howie at the shelter, petting him, cuddling him and walking him around. The shelter said to try to the weekend and see how it went. It didn’t take a weekend. We knew he was ours when he came up to one of his daddies and planted a kiss on the cheek. Those sweet brown soulful eyes looking up at us melted our hearts.

Howie adapted quickly to his new home. He didn’t seem to mind our two cats, and took quickly to new toys, a soft bed and two doting daddies. After a few days, Howie went on a running jag that lasted several minutes, racing through the house, then stopped on a dime, looked at us and smiled. We were certain he knew he was home. Adopting a two year old was a great experience. Older dogs need loving families as well as the little puppies.

How Has Your Hero Changed Your Life?

Nine years later, Howie is loved by family, friends, neighbors. He is a handsome, very intelligent dog. (no bias of course). He is healthy, strong and has a great sense of humor.
After one daddy retired, he decided to see if Howie could be a therapy dog. Howie completed the test with flying colors. He now sits in the car excited to go to the Nursing care center for the elderly and those suffering with Alzheimer Disease. He is listed on the monthly activity calendar, with a billing of “Howie the dog visits”. Howie has enhanced the lives of residents, the staff and visiting family members at the facility. Shouts of “Howie is here” are heard coming and “ Howie is leaving, see you next week” when leaving. We could not be more proud of him. His deep howl every morning to wake up the family makes us start our day laughing and grateful to have found him. Howie is our hero.