TORRINGTON, Conn. (AP) – A man who lost his dog in a messy separation with his wife has turned to the classified ads to get it back.

Earle Hollings says Thor, a Shih Tsu, means a lot to him. Stasha Hollings, his wife of 30 years, gave the dog away because she was moving out of their home into an apartment where dogs aren’t allowed.

Stasha Hollings said she gave Thor away last week to a stranger she saw outside.

“She seemed to be a nice woman. She really wanted the dog,” said Hollings, adding that her husband didn’t tell her he planned to keep Thor.

Earle Hollings placed the ad in The Register-Citizen when he heard what happened.

It read: “Last weekend, in the middle of a difficult separation, my wife gave away all of our animals. One of those was Thor, a black and white Shih Tsu that I bought for her two years ago on her birthday. Next to my wife, Thor became my best friend. Please, if you have Thor or know where he is and have it in your heart, call me.”

He’d had no response. He was so attached to Thor that a friend even gave him a black dog cape with “God of Thunder” emblazoned in red across the back. Thor was the Norse god of thunder.

“I miss the stupid little thing,” he said. “I never liked little dogs. All my life I had a shepherd or a boxer, manly dogs. But he’s just that kind of a dog that you can’t help but fall in love with … I miss him almost as much as I miss my wife.”