Shelter dog is home for the holidays

West Milford Police Officer Robert Hahn calls it a small Christmas miracle.

He and his family adopted a nine-month-old deaf female pit bull-mix pup from the West Milford Animal Shelter Society (WMASS) on Dec. 5.

Previously known as Delilah, the Hahns have renamed the nearly all white, active and somewhat mischievous pup Reina.

She joins the family’s pack of three female black Labrador retrievers.

“My family and I are dog lovers, with pups around the house since I was born,” said Hahn, a West Milford native and 2016 West Milford High School graduate.

“We’re beyond excited to have Reina join our family, especially this time of year and knowing that she’ll be in a good forever home despite a rough start in life.”

While on duty last month, Hahn, who has been a member of the township Police Department for three years, was dispatched on a call about a dog running loose.

While handling the call, he was at the animal shelter and he saw Delilah while she was being walked by shelter volunteers.

When he learned that she was deaf, abandoned and super-friendly, he found her situation “heart breaking” and immediately was interested in adopting her.

Hahn then spoke with his mother, Sherri; father, Joe; and brother Nick as well as his girlfriend, Lindsay. Everyone was on board with the adoption.

He then reconnected with shelter officials and completed the adoption forms.

In the weeks that followed, Hahn and his family visited Reina almost daily to socialize, play and bond while she cleared adoption and medical protocols.

One day they brought along their black labs - Kona, Tega and Ella - to meet Reina and ensure that they all got along, especially the eldest dog, Kona, with the young white pup.

“We’re thrilled for Reina and the Hahns,” said Paul Laycox, WMASS president. “She’s smart, friendly, playful and curious and is going to a wonderful local family in the Hahns that has extensive experience with raising, training and caring for dogs.”

WMASS had received an anonymous $100 donation to cover Reina’s adoption fee.

It turns out that the Parrello family of West Milford made the contribution as part of an annual charitable holiday donation in memory of their son and brother, U.S. Marines Lance Cpl. Brian Parrello, who lost his life Jan. 1, 2005, in service during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

His mother, Shirley, is a WMASS volunteer, and his brother, Anthony, is the captain of the Police Department.

Adding to the adoption Christmas miracle, friends of Hahn saw him and a newly surrendered German Shepherd, Kato, while he was walking Reina on the shelter grounds.

They adopted Kato on Dec. 3.

One of Kato’s new family is deputy chief of Fire Company 4 in West Milford, and his financee’s father is a retired K-9 police officer in Toms River who still trains Ocean County K-9 officers.

Hahn said he is looking forward to Reina’s training.

WMASS had started sign-language and other training with the special-needs pup.

“It’ll be a new experience for Reina, our family and our other dogs,” he said. “We’ll all learn a lot from each other - maybe Reina will teach us a few new tricks.”

Sherri Hahn said, “It is a special adoption in every way. And now Reina is home for the holidays where she belongs and where she’ll be loved for life.”