Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/dog-special-needs-son/

Nova’s story was originally shared in the Clear the Shelters Adoption Story Challenge on ShelterChallenge.com. Nova won the Runner-up Prize of $1,500 in cash and pet supplies for Dallas Animal Services! Create your own free Shelter Challenge account and vote for your favorite shelter or rescue group to win cash and prizes. Every time you vote we’ll give an extra donation to shelters!

Nova came to Dallas Animal Services (DAS) as a stray suffering from significant facial swelling, likely caused by a snake bite or some other sort of head trauma. Despite her condition, she was sweet and friendly in her interactions with DAS staff.

After about a week of medical care from the DAS veterinary team, Nova was cleared for adoption and made available as part of the Clear the Shelters event. Lucky for her, a loving family with four kids that was looking for a dog via Clear the Shelters fell in love with Nova’s online profile, and brought her home.

Now Nova is adored by all of the kids, but is the BFF of the family’s special needs son, who is unable to walk, talk, or hear very well. According to his mom, he was not a fan of dogs in the past, but she can see in his eyes how much he loves Nova, whom he treats with incredible kindness. She says that he particularly likes to rub her head, which thanks to the DAS veterinary staff, is back to normal and no longer painfully swollen.

Nova’s family decided to keep her name after looking up its meaning and finding that it represents newness, as well as a star that quickly increases in brightness. Thanks to DAS and Clear the Shelters, both Nova and her adoptive family can look forward to a new chapter of life that is brighter than the one before!

Story submitted by Wendy Reiner.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog