Terminally-Ill Bergen Boy Gifted Puppy After Facebook Scam

Leart Dervishaj's only wish was to have a puppy. Thanks to a North Jersey pet store owner, he got his wish.

The terminally-ill 6-year-old boy has been hospitalized for the past five weeks in Hackensack with a rare, incurable form of dwarfism. He only has a few years to live.

Dervishaj wanted a puppy for a kindergarten graduation gift since he could not attend the ceremony. His mom, Rezarta Osmani scraped and saved every penny she could to buy a teacup Yorkie from someone on Facebook.

She sent the person $1,400, but never received the Yorkie.

"We were devastated," Osmani said.

After hearing about it, Jonathan Dubreuil, owner of Shake A Paw in Green Brook, said he had to help. Osmani donated a 5-month-old teacup Yorkie to the family.

"It really broke my heart, said Dubreuil. "First and foremost, before being a business owner, I am a father of a 3-year-old boy and 8-month-old daughter. My family comes before anything in life. That's how I was raised and want to pass that on to my children."

Osmani and the family were overjoyed.

"We were so excited and very happy, so excited for my son," Osmani said when she found out about the donation.

It was love at first sight when Dervishaj saw the puppy.

"It's like they have been friends forever," Osmani said. "The puppy cuddles up next to him."

Fitting for their connection, they named the puppy "Angel."

"It feels awesome," Dubreuil said. "That was really my goal. I am quiet person and don't really look for the limelight but I wanted to do this from the bottom of my heart."

Anyone looking to donate to help pay for Dervishaj's medical bills can visit a GoFundMe site set up for him here.

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Leart Dervishaj snuggles with his new 5-month-old puppy, "Angel." (Courtesy of GoFundMe, a promotional partner of Patch)