Abandoned dog Curious George is adopted

Curious George, the young pit bull found starving on a Delaware County road, will be spending the holidays in his new home.

On Tuesday, the pooch was presented to his new owners, Aimee and Eric Tysarczyk of Bryn Mawr, before a horde of photographers and reporters who captured every doggy smooch on camera. George took the event in stride, even showing off some new tricks for the crowd.

The Montgomery County couple had been looking to adopt a dog when they spotted George's photo and story on the Delaware County SPCA website.

The emaciated pup weighed only 35 pounds when he was found wandering along a Lower Chichester road by a good Samaritan and brought to the Media shelter in late October.

It was touch and go for about two weeks, before shelter staff knew that the adorable and very curious - hence the name - dog would survive. He was fed a special diet every two hours until he began to recover. The pooch now weighs a healthy 70 pounds, said Justina Calgiano, director of community relations at the Delaware County SPCA.

Tips from the community led investigators to George's previous owner.

Lamont Alexander, 28, of Morton, has been charged with two counts of cruelty to animals.

George captured the hearts of the shelter workers. "He was spoiled rotten here," Calgiano said.

After a ton of TLC and lots of treats - peanut butter and hot dogs - George was officially put up for adoption.

During his stay, George learned the usual doggy commands of sit, down, heel, come, and crawl. The trainers worked on keeping him from jumping on people and barking excessively, and easing his separation anxiety, Calgiano said.

Eric Tysarczyk, a lawyer, said his family had pit bulls. "When they are raised right, they are good dogs," he said.

Aimee Tysarczyk, who works in public relations, said the couple would bring George by the SPCA to visit with old friends.