DALLASTOWN, Pa. — 17 year old chow mix Tyler was adopted by Julie Fritz and her family in 2009, but his story begins way before that in 2005.
“He was rescued from hurricane Katrina, Animal Rescue Inc and New Freedom brought dozen of dogs up right after the hurricane and the flooding and he was one of the batch of dogs that they brought up," said Fritz.
Most of those dogs were adopted, but not Tyler.
“Because he was very shy and traumatized," said Fritz.
The animal rescue decided to reach out to a local program called "HOPE" that pairs rescue dogs with inmates at the camp hill prison.
The inmates work with professional trainers to rehabilitate dogs and get them ready for adoption.
“What they did was help Tyler learn basic obedience skills and also learn how to trust humans again," said Fritz.
After the training, Tyler was ready for adoption and Julie was ready to welcome a new member to the family.
“He deserved a home," said Fritz.
Julie says rescuing Tyler has been life changing.
“He taught us what it means to rescue. He taught us what it means to love unconditionally and be loved unconditionally and accepted," said Fritz.
Since adopting Tyler, Julie has been volunteering for new freedom animal rescue and hosts an annual fundraiser called “Dog in the park.”
“They don’t just join your life, you join their life and they have a past, they have a history, they have a personality, and they accept you with whatever you come with and it’s important to know that when you’re rescuing, you’re accepting them as well," said Fritz.
"Dog in the park" will be taking place on August 21st at Marge Goodfellow Park in New Freedom, PA.