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Puppy finds home at flea market
The puppy escaped death and found a market full of friends.
YOUNGSTOWN — Charlene LyBrand, a city resident with affection for animals, just happened to be in the right place to save a life.
LyBrand, who works at the Hubbard Flea Market several times a week, was traveling along U.S. Route 422 headed toward the flea market in mid-December when she noticed a dead dog, obviously hit by a car, on the side of the road.
It wasn’t the dead dog that made her stop her car for a closer look, but the movement of a small creature only a few feet away from the animal — movement she initially thought was from a groundhog.
“I eventually realized that it wasn’t a groundhog, but a very small puppy. It was a young tiny thing, could hardly stand and just wobbled when it tried to walk. I couldn’t leave it out there with its mom being dead,” she said.
LyBrand already has several pets at home and knew she would not be able to care for the new puppy, but she bundled the small creature up and took him to the flea market where she spends three days out of each week. The roadside meeting would prove to be a life-altering moment for the puppy and several people at the flea market.
The puppy has a deformed upper lip that leaves its teeth exposed and also appears to be missing one eye. Still, those working at the flea market as well as many of those looking for bargains in the aisles have taken to the small light brown pup.
Though not love at first sight, 22-year-old Amanda Burrell has fallen the hardest for the pooch.
“I had no intentions on adopting this dog at first, but then I looked and there was this cute little puppy and we had to decide who would take him home. Then I just fell in love with him,” said Burrell.
Burrell has no idea what breed the dog might be but thinks there may be a little husky mixed with German shepherd and some Labrador retriever. She just refers to his breeding as a little “Heinz 57.”
Burrell has yet to name the puppy. She said she is waiting for him to do something that tells her exactly what his name should be.
“I don’t like naming animals those generic animal names. You need to figure what fits the puppy’s personality, and it takes a little time to do that,” she said.
In the meantime, Burrell is letting her unnamed new friend soak up all the attention he can in the large flea market area.
“Everybody here has taken a shine to him,” she said. “Last week I didn’t come [to the flea market] one day and nobody asked where I was but they all wanted to know where the puppy was.”
LyBrand watches the playful animal wander the room on its small leash and thinks how close the puppy came to losing its life on a busy road leading to the flea market.
“I am just glad I came along when I did because it was wandering out into the street and would have probably joined its mother,” she said.
jgoodwin@vindy.com