A poodle/Dalmatian mix arrives at Nashville Humane Association, hoping to get adopted.

Recently, I heard that Nashville Humane Association got a transport in from Mississippi. I was curious to see what kind of dogs they were getting, so I went to check it out. One pup got my attention right away, a one and a half year old poodle/dalmatian mix named Big Boy. He was cute, super sweet and gave me his paw whenever I approached him. How could you not love that? I wanted to know the plan for Big Boy while he was at the shelter, so I spoke to Dr. Martin, a NHA vet, and Ashley, the NHA behavior lead.

Nashville Humane Association has a pretty quick process when a dog arrives at the shelter. The staff is hands on with the animals while they’re on and off the floor, so they get daily socialization and interactions. Because of this, the animals usually move up to the adoption floor quickly, as long as they are fine medically.

Arriving at a new place can cause some stress on a dog, so Ashley informed me that Big Boy was a little nervous at NHA. She didn’t want his nervousness to bring out any behavioral changes in him, so Ashley made sure Big Boy got lots of socialization with other dogs and people. She also had him participate in NHA’s basic enrichment program.

Although Big Boy was fine behaviorally, there was a medical issue. Dr. Martin was informed that Big Boy was heartworm positive when he arrived at the shelter. Because of this, Big Boy received an initial treatment for heartworm disease, consisting of a 30 day course of antibiotics and a series of injections. Dr. Martin was hopeful Big Boy would be fine after treatment - great news!

While Big Boy was getting his socialization and heartworm treatments, it didn’t take long for someone to see him on the adoption floor and fall in love with him instantly. Yes, you read that right - Big Boy was adopted! Allie was looking for a new dog and when she passed by Big Boy’s kennel, it was love at first sight. Not only for Allie, but for Big Boy as well. It really was a match made in heaven.

The story doesn’t end there though. Allie has a rare condition where she can’t speak, and hadn’t spoken in over a year. When she was playing with Big Boy, Allie’s mom was shocked when Allie actually said her first word in over a year! It looks like Big Boy will now be a therapy dog for Allie.

Not only did Big Boy leave Nashville Humane Association with a new mom, but he also left with a new name. Allie decided to change his name to Dash, one of her favorite characters from the movie The Incredibles.

Congratulations Dash and Allie! I am so happy for you both and know you will have a great life together. And congratulations Nashville Humane Association on getting Dash adopted!

You can watch Dash’s story here.

To donate to dogs like Dash at Nashville Humane Association, click/tap here.