Katie Newhouser is a local UPS driver in Rancho Cucamonga, California, who had a special bond with a pit bull on her route named Leo.
"He would hear my truck come into the condo complex and start barking and scratching at the door to come down to the truck," Newhouser told PupJournal. "He would love to come into the truck and go into the back to look around."
In October 2016, Newhouser learned through Facebook that Leo’s owner, Tina, had died. Her son was unable to take the dog in because he is in the Marines, so Newhouser offered to foster the dog. She already had three other dogs, though, and didn’t intend on keeping Leo.
However, her personal bond with Leo proved too strong to adopt him out to someone else, so Newhouser ended up keeping him.
“The whole vibe in the house changed as soon as we brought him home,” she said. “He is the biggest, most lovable dog that you will ever meet. He was instantly running around the yard with my dogs.”
There were some adjustments for Leo, the biggest of which was living life without Tina.
“I do know that Leo missed Tina when he first got here,” Newhouser said. “He would whine at night before he would fall asleep. It was heartbreaking, really. He still does every once in a while. I know he misses her.”
Despite missing Tina, Leo loves playing and lying in the yard with Newhouser's other dogs and has a new family who will always love him.
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