ASTORIA — Sinatra has found a permanent home in New York, New York.
A pit bull named after the legendary crooner and left homeless last month when its owner left Queens to enlist in the Army was adopted by a dog-lover in Brooklyn who found out about the pooch's plight after reading about it on DNAinfo New York.
"The photo and everything spoke to me," said Matt Jeselnik, 29, of Greenpoint, who said he's long wanted to adopt a rescue dog. "The timing was right."
Sinatra's original owner, Sal Lopez, 27, of Astoria, was forced to leave his beloved dog behind last month when he shipped out for basic training.
Lopez's grandmother, Mary Lopez, said her grandson was "devastated" to give Sinatra away. But there was no way he could keep the dog during four years of military service, and she suffers from a leg injury that makes walking a 50-pound pooch impossible.
"Otherwise, I would have taken him in a heartbeat," she told DNAinfo last month.
Unable to find anyone to take the dog, the family turned to the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, which found a foster home for Sinatra at Glen Wild Animal Rescue in upstate New York.
Jeselnik, who works in real estate, traveled to Glen Wild on Friday to meet and officially adopt the dog. The new owner says Sinatra feels right at home in Brooklyn.
"He's pretty used to the city life, I guess, growing up in Queens," Jeselnik said. "He's a ball of energy. We're having fun."
Mary Lopez said she's thrilled to see Sinatra find a home.
"I was in my glory," she said.
"I said, 'Thank God.' I couldn’t wait for this day."
She's been writing her grandson letters regularly to let him know how Sinatra is doing.
"As soon as he got adopted, that letter went out," she said.
