The 29-year-old American scored twice as the second-tier Championship side won 4-2 at the City Ground on Sunday to eliminate the holders, and said after the game his wife had promised him a dog if he scored a hat-trick this season.
She was then hounded on social media to get the dog despite Lichaj falling one goal short, and has allowed her husband to have a French bulldog.
The animal has, appropriately, been christened ‘Gunner’.
“Wanted to show everyone the newest member of the Lichaj family…. Gunner. Thank you everyone for for pushing @KatPerko in the right direction! #erichasadog,” tweeted Lichaj on Wednesday.
He tweeted on Monday, asking “anyone who is bored” to send “dog pics, memes, gifs” to @KatPerko — his wife’s Twitter handle — and plenty of users joined in using the hashtag #GetEricADog.
Teammates also got involved, with Kieran Dowell, who scored the penalty for Forest’s fourth when Lichaj was keen to take it, posting a GIF of a beagle flying on a magic carpet.
Various other teammates waded in, with Ben Brereton, Zach Clough, and Matty Cash among those to post dog-related videos on Monday.