GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A family in Greenfield found their missing puppy after nearly 30 days with the help of the community.
Nova, a 10-month-old puppy, disappeared from the fenced-in backyard of a home near the center of Greenfield on Sunday, March 19th. She was wearing a collar with her name and phone number on it. Her owner, Miyah Odle, immediately searched the neighborhood and reported her missing to the police, animal control, and shelters.
Twelve days later, on March 31st, she was spotted approximately 9 miles away in Leyden. The homeowner helped the family look for Nova on his property, through the woods in the rain and snow without any signs of her.
On April 3rd, a homeowner saw Nova on their Ring camera about 4 miles from the last sighting location however, she did not turn up.
The family did not give up, they hung flyers, went door to door, and continued walking through the woods to find her.
This past Friday, on April 14th, a woman who saw Nova on her Ring camera at her home on Lakeview Drive in Greenfield for nearly a week contacted Miyah Odle about seeing her puppy. In hopes of catching Nova without scaring her off, the family brought hotdogs and left them in the yard for a couple of hours however she didn’t come back. Last Friday, temperatures reached 90 degrees and the family headed home.
Moments later, Nova was seen on the Ring video walking and laying in the driveway, “she looked hot, tired, and like she was giving up,” Miyah said. The family headed back to the property in hopes of taking her home. As the family approached the home, Nova started to run.
A miracle finding her
The family was finally reunited with their puppy, Nova. Miyah said she had about nine ticks on her limping and lost a little weight. A day after they brought her home, Nova developed an abscess under her jaw that was caused by an inch-long porcupine quill embedded into her. She is currently on antibiotics and being monitored by a veterinarian at South Deerfield Veterinary Clinic.
“The community came together and truly cared and so many people have lost faith in society nowadays and this shows that we are all in this together,” Miyah Odle, Nova’s mom, told 22News.
A GoFundMe was set up to help the family with veterinary bills due to the serious infection, medication, and follow-up appointments.