When a tiny puppy was abandoned on Christmas Eve a year ago and rescued by Deanna Jarvis, he weighed only one pound and suffered from both hypothermia and an infected broken jaw. Although she’s known as the puppy expert at Noah’s Hope Animal Rescue and had seen many heart-wrenching cases, Jarvis recognized that the little dog whom she named Nicolas would need a Christmas miracle to recover, reported the Sioux City Journal.

That miracle first came in the form of a veterinarian who treated the little dog on Christmas Day, followed by Deanna’s decision to take the puppy into her heart and home.

“The vet said that Nicolas was hypothermic and needed to be on a heating pad. Instead I zipped him up in my sweatshirt and rocked him in a chair for three days.”

The gentle woman who loves all animals and the sick little puppy formed a special bond. Because his broken jaw was so tiny, it had to heal on its own. So Deanna carefully fed Nicolas with a syringe containing a high-fat diet.

Her son, Marcus, helped to cuddle the little German Shepherd-Chow mix and rock him as well.

But who could provide a loving, compassionate home for this little dog who had suffered so much? That’s where Tom and Bea Johnson of Sioux City provided another miracle.

“We made up our minds that we were going to adopt an older dog in the spring, but then Bea got online and saw Nicolas on Noah’s Hope’s Facebook page.”

Tom and Bea visited the little dog and made the decision immediately.

“We fell in love with him when we saw him,” a happy Tom says now.

Although the Johnsons fostered Nicolas before completing the adoption work, Deanna had one requirement to accompany their request to make the abandoned little dog part of their family.

“I promised Deanna that if we adopted him, we would regularly bring him to see her,” Tom explained.

And almost one year later, Nicolas is still ecstatic when he sees Deanna, unable to contain his joy and love for the woman who rocked him from near-death to a happy life. Jarvis reciprocates with all her heart.

“This is one of those instances where they remember what you did for them and they appreciate that. It means a lot that he remembers me and appreciates what we did.”

After progressing to normal food at six months, Nicolas today is a happy, normal dog. He naps, cuddles with his family, and plays with his Lhasa Apso puppy pal Patton. Only a split in his ear is a reminder of his tragic beginning.

“What a different Christmas this will be for him,” said his proud foster mom.

For those who think this type of tragedy is rare, DFW Rescue Me volunteers sadly say you’re wrong. Claire Fowler, for example, has worked for the group for only two years, and recently fostered three tiny 10-day-old puppies tossed into a bag and left to die in a dumpster, as the Inquisitr reported.

While Claire has volunteered for the organization for only two years, she has fostered more than 96 puppies. And being a foster to a puppy means everything from feeding them every two hours to giving them their very first baths, as shown.

And for those thinking about rescuing a puppy or dog this holiday season, or making an early New Year’s Resolution to adopt from a shelter or animal rescue group, a woman with a record 64 puppies up for adoption hopes you’ll consider her group, reported the Concord Monitor.

Teresa Paradis, executive director of Live and Let Live Farm in Chichester, has never had so many puppies in need of permanent homes. How did it happen? Paradis specializes in pregnant dogs, with some arriving from Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina to be treated.

And the result is, well, a lot of puppies, says Teresa ruefully. More are on the way, including a yellow Labrador with five puppies and odd stripes.

“They look like tigers. They’re so beautiful, it’s crazy,” said the tired but still dog-loving animal lover.

And just like Deanna Jarvis noted, Paradis believes that rescue dogs always are appreciative to those who adopt them. All they want is love and a home.

“Animals have a wish, too: having their own child, their own family,” she said.

The puppies can be viewed on her Facebook page.

[Photo By China Photos/Getty Images]