Countless students on Elizabethtown College’s campus take pride in their fuzzy friends (or, not so fuzzy if reading my last article featuring a pet snake). Many miss their pets from home and see them mainly through pictures and videos. Some students have pets on campus, either adopting a cat or dog on their own or training a service dog through Etown’s unique new service dog training program.

Despite the variety of on-campus opportunities for students to get involved with animals, most students enjoy spending time with their pets at home. This is quite true of sophomore Marissa Puleo, who has two well-loved dogs at home: Hank and Holly.

Holly is a little older than Hank and has lived with the Puleo family since she was a puppy. However, today’s pet spotlight will be focusing on the younger—and far more energetic—Hank.

The Puleo family adopted Hank from an Amish family when he was only a few weeks old. They intended to surprise her dad with a puppy for his birthday. Puleo said he was the size of a teacup and he could easily fit into just their hands. In fact, he was so small that he was considered the runt of the litter. The breeder believed that he was not healthy enough to live too much longer.

“We named him Hank the Tank because we wanted him to grow big and strong,” Puleo said.

 For the first couple months, however, Hank had to be given specialty smaller-than-average tennis balls so that his little mouth could hold them. He couldn’t quite reach the sofa on his own, so the family would build him a pillow staircase.

Puleo noted that initially, Holly did not fully get along with Hank and was hesitant to get to know him. 

“Once Holly realized he was there to stay, she became like a mother to him,” Puleo said.

Two years later, Hank the Tank is chugging along, happier and healthier than ever. He quickly became close with Puleo’s younger sister Madison. After having recently lost her favorite family dog, Madison fell in love with Hank and the new addition he made to their home. She quickly taught him to jump off chairs and other furniture right into her arms, catching him midair.

More recently, Hank has had a new obsession in the Puleo household: a soft bench that sits in the kitchen. As soon as someone calls “bench,” Hank jumps up on his favorite spot and is ready to sit with visitors. Because Hank has some anxiety, the bench has served as a way for him to socialize with new people. He also enjoys being lifted onto the stools that sit in the kitchen so that he can spin around in circles.

Hank is a good-natured and loving dog; he loves hanging out with Holly and other dogs that Puleo pet sits in her free time. Altogether, she would agree that Hank was a perfect addition to their family, giving them lots of laughs during his two years and many more to come.