Loudoun County's 'Gentle Giant' Tank Finds Stardom In Puppy Bowl

PURCELLVILLE, VA — Christine Ronan had been in the market for a new puppy for several months last year, but because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, she had found the selection rather slim.

But when Ronan came across the photo of an 80-pound Rottweiler-Labrador mix that had been rescued from Mississippi and had found its way to a shelter in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at 5 a.m. on a weekday in September, she knew that she and her family had found what they had been searching for.

Now, more than four months after Ronan and her family brought Tank home, the puppy with a story that was too much to pass up on has found his way onto a national stage. Like, Ellie — a fellow Loudoun County pet resident — Tank, who was adopted from Charlie’s Crusaders Pet Rescue, will be featured in the upcoming Puppy Bowl.

The puppy competition is an annual Animal Planet production that airs in conjunction with the Super Bowl and features puppies from around the country that have either been adopted or rescued, in an event that raises awareness about pet adoption. The Puppy Bowl airs at 2 p.m. ET on Feb. 7 on Animal Planet and discovery+.

For Ronan, rescuing animals has become a regular practice. In addition to Tank, Ronan and her family have rescued a cat and a few other dogs. But none of their previous rescues have led to a nationally televised event like the one Tank will appear in Feb. 7 — or came with a story that made the puppy Ronan calls her "gentle giant" such a good fit.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the Ronans were not permitted to accompany Tank to New York for the filming of the Puppy Bowl, and they have only recently seen footage of parts of the competition. Tank is also part of the Pupularity Contest, a 16-puppy competition in which participants rely on public voting to advance.

Tank is currently in Round 2 of the competition, which runs through this week before another vote will send the most popular pups on.

“It’s really been an awesome experience,” Ronan said Tuesday in a phone interview. “We’re just hoping he keeps going. … Hopefully, he gets some air time.”

Tank was the lone survivor out of his litter following an accident when his mother, a 120-pound Rottweiler, rolled over onto the litter shortly after giving birth. Tank was given CPR and brought back to life. A young boy living in the home where Tank was born repeatedly would come up to the puppy and say, “Tank you for the kisses,” “Tank you for playing for me” — which provided the puppy with his name.

Tank’s father, a Labrador, was hit by a car and killed, which only added to the story that connected so much with Ronan. Just two days after Charlie's Crusaders called Ronan about her application, the fact she and her husband had kids and lived in a pet-friendly environment made the Purcellville family a perfect fit. But the love story went both ways.

“The story and his picture, I said, ‘You know what, you’re speaking to me,’” Ronan said of the moment she selected Tank as the puppy she wanted to add to her family.

“The whole rescue was amazing.”

Since being selected for the Puppy Bowl, Tank had found a certain level of notoriety. The Ronans recently taped an interview with Fox News and Tank has done a meet-and-greet at the local Dogtopia day care. He will be featured in an upcoming issue of a local magazine, which has made him a bit of a pet celebrity.

But Tank's stardom starts at home, Ronan said.

“Everybody who has met him so far without even knowing he’s in Puppy Bowl has said, ‘Oh, what an amazing dog, he’s so beautiful, he’s so kind,’” Ronan said. “He’s just been a perfect fit for our family … everything just fell into place.”

She added: “He’s just an 80-pound, sweet puppy. He’s my gentle giant.”