QUINLAN, Texas — The gift of a new dog is bringing some peace to a teen and her family who have been experiencing a tough time.
A black Labrador-mix named Joey was a special gift, donated to Hannah Westmoreland by the family of former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek.
“He’s my little comfort animal right now,“ Hannah said while sitting in her living room.
Comfort for the 15-year-old has been challenging over the past two months. Westmoreland is living with diabetes. Her original service dog Journey was shot to death outside the family’s home in Hunt County by an unknown suspect back in January.
”You know we’ve missed Journey,” said Hannah's mom, Tina Westmoreland. “He was an important part of our family. So, it’s been a hard road.”
Westmoreland said Amy Novacek contacted her through the Justice4Journey Facebook page after hearing about Journey’s tragic death and the family’s fight for justice. A reward for leads on the shooter is now $10,000.
”There’s a lot of people who just want to know what happened to Journey," Westmoreland said.
As the family moves on, they say the kind gesture from the Novacek family is bringing some new happiness to their home.
Hannah said Joey is busy running around, playing, and getting to know the family.
"I’m pretty excited,” Hannah said.