Twango's Photos

A Little Bit About Twango

Breed: Golden Retriever Mix

Gender: Male

Favorite Toy: His Penn State plush

Favorite Treat: Love and attention

Best Trick: High Five

Favorite Game: Tug-of-war

Favorite Pastime: Walks in Central Park

Special Skill: Pet-assisted therapy!

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Thank you so much for visiting Twango’s tribute page! The following is the incredible true story of this truly incredible dog.
Twango was probably born around Thanksgiving of 2003. He and the rest of his litter must have been unwanted or unexpected, because they were found in a box on the roadside in rural Midland County, Texas in January 2004. At the time, Twango’s adoptive mom, Erica, was working at her first job out of college and volunteering at Midland Animal Control in her spare time. She had been planning to adopt soon, but had never thought about bringing home a puppy. But when she placed that 5lb brown puff of fur on her lap, that changed instantly.
Erica was very fortunate that her employer at the time, KMID-TV, allowed her to bring Twango to work every day. Not only did this make it easy to train her new puppy, but it also turned Twango into the friendliest and most social dog you’ve ever met.
When Erica’s career took her back to Pennsylvania, Twango made a whole bunch of new friends, including one that would lead him to his true purpose in life. On a fall day in 2008, a nice lady named Kristen decided that Twango would make a perfect candidate for Pals for Life, which is a pet-assisted therapy organization in Philadelphia. Kristen said, “Some dogs just have that ‘It Factor’, and your dog has It”. Thus began a seven year long career making hundreds of visits to hospitals, nursing homes, halfway houses, mental health facilities, and other rehabilitation centers. Twango was truly a natural at pet therapy. There’s no way to count how many people he cheered up over the years.
Twango retired in 2015, when he and Erica moved from Washington DC to New York City. Though he was no longer an official therapy dog, he continued to bring joy everywhere he went- in his Manhattan apartment building, during his daily walk through Central Park, and everywhere else NYC life would take him.
Dogs’ lives are too short, but Twango lived a big enough life to fill 100 years of fun and adventure. Unfortunately, by October 2018, his body couldn’t keep up any longer. He passed away peacefully at home, with Erica and his good pal Kevin by his side. Erica is hopeful that Twango will finally get to meet the man who inspired his name, her father Barry. “Twango” was a silly nickname that Erica remembered her dad talking about, and it popped in her head as she held Twango the puppy for the first time. Barry had passed away just 6 months before Twango was born. Erica has always believed that her dad’s presence was there when she found Twango at the shelter all those years ago. He will be loved and missed forever. 

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