Bud the dog has a new home

Bud the dog has earned a last-minute reprieve.

Officials of Adopt-a-Pet Inc., based in Irwin, feared they would have to put the 3-year-old Labrador-shepherd mix to sleep if they could not find an adoptive family for him.

The dog, wearing a collar but no tags, was found wandering along Clay Pike in early April.

After a newspaper story described Bud's plight, 15 people called asking to adopt him, said Larae Basilone, Adopt-a-Pet's volunteer coordinator.

A married couple from North Huntingdon Township took Bud home last weekend, she said. The couple has one daughter, who is grown, and they seemed like a good fit for the canine orphan, Basilone said.

Adopt-a-Pet officials, like counterparts at other animal rescue organizations, say it can be difficult to find homes for large dogs and older pets. Bud was being housed at The Animal House, a private kennel in Hempfield Township, but he could not be kept there indefinitely.

While Adopt-a-Pet does not euthanize animals, volunteers feared that's what would happen to Bud eventually if they were forced to send him to the pound.

Volunteers at Adopt-a-Pet said their lack of shelter space will be alleviated when Adopt-a-Pet constructs its own shelter on Route 993 in Shafton.