The owner of P’Nut, the world’s most famous and tragic squirrel, has opened his heart and home to a new fur baby, he revealed to The Post.
Mark Longo said he recently adopted a miniature dachshund named Howard — and believes the puppy “may be the reincarnated version” of his beloved squirrel.
“Just to see him run around outside and be best friends with the cat reminds me of P’Nut,” said Longo of Howard.
Longo, 34, and his wife, Daniela Bittner, 28, decided to adopt Howard from a neighbor two weeks ago, after being hesitant.
“It’s been an emotional time for me and my family … I was on the fence about getting any new personal animals because of what happened,” Longo told The Post.
They both still grieve for P’Nut, who was cruelly seized by state Department of Environmental Conversation agents during a now-infamous Oct. 30 raid on Longo’s home and animal refuge in upstate New York.
P’Nut was delivered to his death — as the state claimed it tested him for rabies, which requires decapitation, after P’Nut allegedly bit one of the agents on the hand. Another pet, a raccoon named Fred, was also euthanized following the troubling DEC operation.
At the time, during the heat of the presidential election, P’Nut’s death became a national symbol of government overreach.
Longo has maintained that the pets did not bite the agents, who wore heavy safety gloves while handling the pets.
P’Nut, who was 6 years old, had been saved by Longo as a baby after his mother was hit by a car. He allowed the squirrel to live inside the house, where P’Nut would wear hats, eat waffles, and play “guard squirrel” at the window.
Howard, who’s only 11 weeks old, is helping Longo heal — and will be a “main character” on his social media going forward, Longo said.
“He stole my heart,” he continued about the three-pound pooch he calls Howie.
“He literally brought a little bit of a spark back into my life…and put a smile on my face.
Still, no pet will ever compare to P’Nut, whom Longo called his “best friend.
“Because of the bond I had with P’Nut, I will never be able to replicate that,” he said.
Longo has yet to get closure in the disturbing case. As of December, the headless bodies of his dead pets were being preserved as evidence in a refrigerated room somewhere upstate, according to a DEC spokesperson.
Testing showed neither animal was infected with rabies.
The Post later revealed documents showing the animals had been slated for death and decapitation at least seven days before the raid on Longo’s 350-acre property.
The state has said it was investigating the raid, but has never released its findings. DEC officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Nora Constance Marino, Longo’s lawyer, said that her office has “made a demand for the bodies and several Freedom of Information requests” to the state since the incident, to no avail.
“It’s been an uneasy feeling not knowing what happened to P’Nut in his last moments on this earth, and to not be able to properly bury him and Fred here at the sanctuary” Longo said.
The torturous limbo is especially difficult as P’Nut’s birthday approaches. On March 13 he would have turned 7.
“Every year we had a birthday party for him,” Longo lamented.
To mark the occasion this year, Longo, friends and family will gather to light over 100 candles donated by online supporters at P’Nut’s Freedom Farm in his memory.