Georgia nurse adopts terminally ill patient's dog after family surrenders pet to animal shelter

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- A dog found a new home with a Georgia nurse who went above and beyond for one of her elderly patients.

"I could have never guessed the connection that you develop with some people when you take care of them," said Kim Still.

Still said she got into nursing four years ago to help people but never thought that a patient and her dog Jax would end up helping her.

"They just totally like, changed my life," she said.

Still is a nurse at Northside Hospital Gwinnett and said from the moment she was assigned to an elderly patient who was dying, the two of them connected.

Something that weighed on the patient though was what would happen to her Chihuahua.

"Didn't have any kids, she didn't have any family close by. So all she really had was this dog," Still said.

Still said when the patient did pass away, the family that flew in told her they surrendered the dog to a shelter, WSB reported.

"So I was very worried that he was not going to be given a good chance and possibly be put down if he didn't get out of the shelter," Still added.

So she said there was one more thing she could do for her patient, and herself, and that was to give Jax a new home.

"Because I was like, I am never going to get rid of him. He was so sweet, he is one of the most loving dogs ever," Still said.

Her coworkers honored her with a Daisy Award for extraordinary compassion.

Still said as long as Jax is in her life, he will remind her why she does what she does.

"Being there, people need to feel heard, and they need to feel like someone cares about them," she said.

Still already had one dog before she adopted Jax. She said the two dogs are now best friends.