See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Eli Rosenberg
Brooklyn Daily
This dog will have to get used to a smaller backyard.
Prospect Park’s legendary Ghost Dog — a feral pooch that roamed the green space without an owner for years — is up for adoption at Sean Casey Animal Rescue, but not just any animal lover will have the chance to domesticate the formerly wild mastiff.
“There are a lot of applications in for him but we have to be really careful,” said Casey.
About 40 suitors have put in requests for the chocolate brown and black Cane Corso — a testament to the dog’s celebrity status, as most other adoptees get just one or two. But Casey said the formerly homeless pooch needs a special home.
“He just needs someone to be patient and control him; somebody with large dog experience who could physically hold on to him,” said Casey, who won’t hand the dog over until he conducts a series of interviews and contacts personal references and past veterinarians.
Ghost Dog evaded rescuers and animal control authorities for years, building a phantasmal presence that haunted some park-goers and dog walkers — though many doubted the tale of a dog living on his own in the park until Casey caught the pooch in May after he fell ill.
“At first I thought it was an urban myth,” said Milena Schmidt, a blogger who runs ABrooklynDogsLife.com. “But he’s true. Ghost Dog is a the stuff of legends.”
Ghost Dog — the subject of at least two movies — gained a reputation as Prospect Park’s spirit animal, and earned the pet name “Prospero.”
Fans studied his routines and knew where to find — and feed — him in the park.
He spent mornings over by the Vanderbilt Playground and enjoyed the sunset hour near the entrance to the Quaker Cemetery, and had a cadre of people who would bring him food, said Casey.
Casey claims the pooch was feral for four years but had at least one previous owner, evidenced by the fact his tail and ears are clipped.
That cosmetic work has led some to assume he escaped from an owner who prized fierceness, but Casey says Ghost Dog is as friendly as Casper.
“He’s going to make an excellent dog,” he said. “He is very trusting and very loving and has no aggression.”
That said, the dog’s new owner shouldn’t expect to bring him to Prospect Park anytime soon — because he’s more than accustomed to the off-leash lifestyle.
“I’m hoping that one day he’ll be rehabilitated to the point where we can walk him through the park,” said Casey. “He was no dummy when he was living there.”
Ghost Dog may be one of the borough’s most storied canines, but he’s not the only famous dog in town.
Williamsburg German Shepherd Cassius won an award in 2010 for its work in search and rescue missions after disasters in Haiti, Sri Lanka, and New Orleans.
To apply to adopt Ghost Dog contact the Sean Casey Animal Rescue. [153 E. Third St. between Fort Hamilton Parkway and Caton Avenue in Kensington, (718) 436–5163].
Reach reporter Eli Rosenberg at erosenberg@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2531. Follow him at twitter.com/emrosenberg.