LebTown features a different Lebanon County pet each Friday to help us enter the weekend with the best vibes possible.

Our Pet of the Week is sometimes available for adoption through a local shelter. Other times the weekly column will spotlight a local furbaby who already lives in a happy Lebanon County home.

This week, meet Finnegan!

Finnegan’s first snowy day.

Finnegan is an emergency backup dog belonging to Tom Knapp, a LebTown writer, and his wife Michelle. When they married in 2019, Tom brought his dog Charley – a coal-black mix of golden retriever and border collie – to the relationship, and Michelle brought her longtime pit mix, Gracie. Sadly, Gracie – Michelle’s faithful companion for many years – died at age 12 in the summer of 2020. She was a much-loved pup, and she was mourned.

Over the next few months, Tom would sometimes share photos of dogs that were available for adoption through local shelters and rescue groups, and Michelle enjoyed them … but she wasn’t ready yet to fill that space in her heart. Then one day in early 2021, a pair of pups named Pancake and Hashbrown were shared by Pitties.Love.Peace; Michelle looked at them for a moment, then said, “I guess you better fill out an application.” Tom did, and soon they were invited to meet Hashbrown. Everything clicked – for Tom and Michelle, their kids, Charley, and 4-month-old Hashbrown – and soon the grayish-brown pit/boxer mix was ensconced in a new home.

Of course, the placeholder name chosen by PLP wasn’t going to cut it, and after much debate, he was newly dubbed Finnegan.

Finn is a goofy pup who quickly endeared himself to his new family. Even Charley – who was a little reluctant to welcome a new dog into the home – warmed up to the little intruder, and they became pals. Finn, we are sure, helps keep Charley young with his playful antics. Now a few years older, Finn loves nothing more than to curl up for a snooze with Charley or one of his humans … unless it’s a rambunctious romp through the house, teasing Charley until he chases him or chewing on one of his many toys.

Waiting for the kids to come home.

Congratulations to Finnegan for being this week’s LebTown Pet of the Week!

It’s a rough life.

Looking for a pet? Check out available adoptions at the Humane Society of Lebanon County.

To nominate your pet, email pets@lebtown.com and include:

  • Your name and your pet’s name
  • Pet’s breed if applicable
  • A little about your pet and why they should be “Pet of the Week”
  • And of course—pictures! Feel free to send high-quality attachments or a link to an online storage service.

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Tom has been a professional journalist for nearly four decades. In his spare time, he plays fiddle with the Irish band Fire in the Glen, and he reviews music, books and movies for Rambles.NET. He lives with his wife, Michelle, and has four children: Vinnie, Molly, Annabelle and Wolf.

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