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Veteran shares Lansford home purchased for therapy pups

Standard-Speaker - 2/15/2020

Feb. 15--LANSFORD -- Tom Connors played with a dog outside the Carbon County Animal Shelter in Nesquehoning one winter morning, praising her as she jumped for kisses.

"Yes, you're a good girl," he said showering attention on her. "You're a good girl. I'm going to buy you a house."

Did he say house? Yes, he did.

Connors, who manages the shelter, quickly said that he's not allowed to do that any more. He already did that once without telling his wife, he said.

Keeping a promise to an elderly Albrightsville woman who trusted him with her beloved pets, Connors purchased a half-double home in Lansford to keep her two therapy dogs together and help a veteran in need, honoring her memory and mission.

It all started with a call from the woman, Fran Brennan, who wanted to surrender her 8-year-old Rottweiler, Sugar, who was a retired therapy dog who became a little unpredictable around strangers.

She called the next day and said she couldn't part with her pet, Connors said, but she needed to go in the hospital for an operation and needed someone to take care of Sugar and her 14-year-old Basset Hound, Lilly Belle, who was also a therapy dog that worked with veterans.

Connors stepped up to help her out, coming to her home daily for a month so the dogs would get used to him. During those visits, he bonded with the 79-year-old, he said.

"She was the most amazing woman that I met," Connors said. "In the 30 days we spent together, she touched my heart in a way a lot haven't. She loved her dogs and she trusted me with her dogs. I take that really seriously."

Connors went home while she was in the hospital, but then got word that she wasn't doing well and she eventually passed, he said. That's when he brought Sugar and Lilly Belle to the shelter, but he knew finding them a home wasn't going to be easy and it couldn't be his home.

His wife told him he couldn't bring any more dogs home, but what if he bought another house? Not only did he do that, he also found a veteran to live with them and care for them.

A plaque outside 212 W. Front St. in Lansford reads, "This is the home of Lilly Belle & Sugar, two registered therapy dogs that have helped at veterans' hospitals. This house was purchased November 8, 2019, so Lilly Belle & Sugar could leave the shelter that they were at after their Mom passed away. The tenant/care giver is a veteran, all three can now enjoy retirement in peace together. 'Our way of saying Thanks!'"

Connors spent three months looking for a home and when he found this one, everything just fell into place, including a friend writing him a check when banks weren't willing on a loan.

He already knew a veteran, who was struggling a little, and thought it would be a good fit.

Army veteran Tom Probert, formerly of Weatherly, moved into the home with Lilly Belle and Sugar in time for Christmas and the neighbors and community welcomed them with open arms.

"It's been fabulous," Probert said sitting at his dining room table. "With Tom buying this house, my living quarters quadrupled without the rent going up. It's a much quieter location. The peace and quiet is good for the three of us."

They met the neighbors when Connors closed on the house, and they spread the word about the new additions in town. Probert's mail carrier leaves dog treats with the mail, and someone dropped off gift bags with more treats with Lilly Belle and Sugar's names.

"We've have gotten a tremendous amount of support," Probert said.

People donated furniture, appliances and carpeting to help, and also bought a doggie door and built a ramp to allow the dogs to access the backyard when they want.

"They know the story and Lansford has welcomed us," Connors said. "It's everyone working together to make sure these dogs stay together and have a good life. This is their house. Their home. I'm just a small part of it. A lot of people helped make this happen."

Caring for the dogs has given Probert, who was suffering from depression, anxiety and anger, structure, direction and purpose, and he feels his energy and drive returning. It also warms his heart to see the gratitude on Lilly Belle and Sugar's faces, he said.

"It make me feel so good. It don't need anything else," he said. "They're going to live out their lives in peace."

It's all part of life's journey, Connors said, and he feels good about it. He hopes people will see what they did and maybe think outside of the box when it comes to helping veterans or dogs.

"Sometimes, it's not cut and dry what to do," he said. "You must find the right thing to do to get it done. There are creative ways to help people and animals.

"This is probably the only house in the country purchased for two dogs to live together, I'm sure," said Connors, who regularly visits and brings treats for the dogs.

His daughter has a slightly different take on why her father bought the house.

"Come on dad, we know you bought that house to keep those dogs," he recalls her saying.

"Well, you know, if that's what happened," Connors said with a laugh, "that's what happened. It is what it is."

Contact the writer: kmonitz@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3589

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