Dog Hates To Go ‘Home’ — Because It’s An Empty House With No Family

"He just sits in the front to watch people go by."

UPDATE: Ham the dog has found a forever home. Watch a video of Ham meeting his new family below:

Ham never wants to go home.

That's because home is an empty house in White Plains, New York.

When he does have to go back, he always cries.

Lisa Heart

The trouble is, there's no family there. Just Ham. His owners live in another house nearby and say he's too much bother to have around all the time.

That's news to Lisa Heart, who has fallen hard for the lonesome, lovable dog she, along with other volunteers, has been taking out on day trips.

"If you met him, you would instantly fall in love with him, Heart, a volunteer at Special Needs Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Northeast, tells The Dodo. "He is such a good boy."

Lisa Heart

In fact, she adds, the dog was once owned by a K9 officer. Although he's afraid of a lot of things nowadays, Ham's manners are still meticulous.

Heart heard about the German shepherd mix's situation when his owner started asking around if anyone wanted a dog.

Heart had a painful conversation with him, rife with excuses for not wanting the dog any more:

He escapes the yard too much. There's too much hair in the house. No one has time for the dog.

So, until the owner finds a family to take in Ham, the dog lives at the family's second home.

"He just sits in the front to watch people go by," Heart says.

Lisa Heart

And Heart, whose voice breaks when she talks about it, tries to get Ham outside as often as she can - while working frantically to find him a real home.

If that doesn't happen soon, he will likely be sent to the shelter - a place the exuberantly social dog wouldn't be able to handle.

Lisa Heart

"I can't foster him because one of my dogs was bitten by a German shepherd and he can't see them," Heart adds.

But the loneliness is also getting at Ham. Even on the way back to the house, Ham can sense what's coming.

"When we were at the gas station, he started crying uncontrollably," Heart says. "I thought, something is wrong here."

Indeed, something is very wrong. Ham needs a house filled with people who love him. Dog hair and all.

Lisa Heart

Do you live in the tri-state area and think you might be able to help?

"We would transport him for the right home but not just to get him out or a temporary spot," Heart says. "We are looking for a 'home' home."