She had a rough start, but a dog that was found abused has a new lease on life.
Nova is now a K-9 officer and she was chosen by Lt. Justin Stopper with the Geary County Sheriff's Department in Kansas, WIBW reported.
Last year, the force needed another K-9 to fill the ranks, and instead of going to vendors who specialize in police dogs, they went to a local animal shelter.
"We decided that maybe we could give a dog a chance that may hadn't had the best life," Stopper told WIBW.
They wanted a dog that was not aggressive, that could be used for drug searches and search and rescue.
Nova was there, housed at the shelter for a few weeks.
"The top of (her nose), the scab was pretty significant, but underneath was red and it was open all underneath, so that's what made us take her to the vet," Junction City/Geary County Animal Shelter Director Vanessa Gray told WIBW.
“They believe something was tied around there, whether it be wire, string, rubber band, but it was on there for a significant time because the scar tissue had grown over whatever it was,” Gray added.
Nova also weighed only 30 pounds, or about half of what a healthy German shepherd her age would be, WIBW reported.
When Stopper was first introduced to Nova, he said he fell in love immediately.
After months of training for both Nova, who still bears the scar across her muzzle, and Stopper, the dog earned her narcotics detection and tracking certification on March 19, WIBW reported.
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