‘Super Nova’ officially adopted by Pittston police chief

PITTSTON — Nova, the sweet pit bull puppy who captured the hearts of the Wyoming Valley when she was found in an extreme state of neglect in June, has officially been adopted.

And the pup’s new “dad” is one of the people working most closely to get her the justice she needs: Pittston City Police Chief Neil P. Murphy.

Murphy and his fiancée — Pittston Township Police Chief Lena Angelella — officially signed the adoption papers to bring Nova home on Thursday during an adoption ceremony held at Pittston City Hall, which was attended by various groups that helped Nova, including the SPCA, Pittston Police and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office.

Murphy said he was happy to officially make Nova a part of his family.

“Ever since Nova came into our community on such a sad note, we get to end it with a happy ending,” he said.

While Nova is now officially Murphy and Angelella’s dog, she’s also being trained to work as a therapy dog, with Murphy telling a reporter that, once she’s done training, she will be there to comfort child victims of crimes.

“If it wasn’t for the mayor and the administration backing this idea, and us being able to take on this project, this would not be possible today without the support of the community, the staff and everyone we have here in the city of Pittston,” he said.

“I look back and I think about something I heard: ‘Greatness builds upon greatness,” he went on. “And I can’t think of anything greater taking place here than this latest opportunity we had here with Nova.”

Nova, as readers are likely to remember, was found in a sever state of neglect near Defoe Street in Pittston in early June. At the time of her discovery, the executive director of the SPCA of Luzerne County, Todd Hevner, said Nova was severely underweight, with almost no body fat on her.

Now, though, Nova is looking positively healthy and happy.

Humane officer Vickie Van Gorder was there to make the adoption official.

“What a happy day for this precious girl we all fell in love with from day one, named Nova,” she said. “She is truly a supernova, a bright star that came from darkness.”

Both Murphy and Van Gorder thanked Maxwell’s House, a local “pet resort” on Tunnel Street in Pittston, where Nova spent weeks recovering.

After the adoption was completed, Murphy spoke with reporters, saying that this is the day everyone was waiting for.

“We didn’t think we were gonna get here this fast, but we were fortunate to be able to do so,” he said. “We were not only able to provide her a police department family, but an actual true home as well.”

Murphy said he became “emotionally involved” from the first tragic photos he saw of Nova. He said that the investigation into what happened to Nova is ongoing, with interviews being actively performed recently.