SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KETK– A woman with hearing loss from outside Texas adopted two puppies from the Smith County Animal Shelter, which she and her family have a unique bond with.
In June, the animal shelter took in two three-month-old puppies, Anjali and Amiya, who had been left alone on County Road 1142. Once the puppies were rescued, it was discovered that both were deaf.
Shortly after rescuing the dogs, the shelter shared images of them onDeaf Dogs RockA website that features deaf dogs available for adoption. Nozomi Tomita, who resides in Massachusetts, saw the dogs online and felt an immediate bond, as she and her family are also deaf.
Provided by Smith County Animal Shelter
Because the shelter could not transport the dogs out of the state, Tomita went to Smith County to adopt the puppies. Several East Texas groups assisted in making Tomita’s trip as smooth as possible, includingPawsitive Place Rescue, which helped Tomita with travel logistics to and from Massachusetts. Furthermore, a staff member from the Tyler Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center offered to act as an interpreter for Tomita during her visit.
On Tuesday, Tomita was finally able to meet and take in Anjali and Amiya from the shelter, and she mentioned that she would teach the puppies American Sign Language, as well as some Japanese Sign Language.
We appreciate Nozomi Tomita and her family for taking in Amiya and Anjali and for traveling such a long way to bring these girls to their permanent home,” said the Smith County Animal Shelter. “We also want to thank Pawsitive Place Rescue for assisting with this adoption for the family and for collaborating with us to help these girls and other dogs from our shelter find their lifelong homes.
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