Nurse Adopts Patient's Beloved Pet Dog From Shelter, Reunites Them In Time For Christmas

A New York nurse went beyond the call of her duty by adopting a patient's pet dog from a shelter and then reuniting them just in time for the holidays.

Jennifer Smith, a registered nurse who has been in practice for 12 years, got an early morning phone call right after Thanksgiving. It was from John Burley, a 60-year-old patient with whom she formed a friendship, and he told her about his beloved pet, Boomer.

"John was calling from his hospital room saying, 'Boomer is in the pound!' Boomer is in the pound!' Boomer is John's world," Smith recalled as per CNN.

"He took a breath and asked me, 'Will you take care of Boomer?' And I said, 'Of course, John. I will find Boomer and take care of him for you,'" the nurse added.

Smith said Burley, who is part of an adult daycare program of the Grand Healthcare Rehabilitation and Nursing Home, where she works, always talked about Boomer and even carried the dog's pictures. Unfortunately, he lived alone and was forced to give up his pet when he got hospitalized.

Upon hearing Burley's loss, she immediately started searching for Boomer. After a few calls to local animal shelters, she finally found the pet.

"I was a little panicked because I didn't know how long he had been in the shelter or if he had already been adopted to another family. It's Christmas time and people get animals," Smith told the outlet.

The nurse found the dog at the Rome Humane Society and immediately rushed over to adopt him so that Burley could have access to his pet while he completed rehab, the nursing home wrote in an Instagram post.

Boomer is now living with Smith and making friends with her dog while Burley recovers in the facility. Smith brings the dog to visit Burley regularly as it gives him peace of mind and helps with his recovery process.

"There are just so many worries in the world right now. If I can take one worry away from John, that's the least I can do," Smith said. "I can't cure diseases. I'm not a miracle worker ... I made a promise to John to take care of Boomer. I will take care of him as long as he needs me to. John knows that. Right now the focus is on John getting better and taking it one day at a time."