A woman who lost her eye in a shooting has adopted a puppy who lost an eye of his own after being attacked by a bigger dog.
Maria Williamson of Mobile, Alabama, USA was shot in the face in June as she sat in her car at a red light.
"The bullet went through my nose and damaged my right eye," she told The Huffington Post. "Over the course of the next week I had two surgeries, one of them to remove my right eye."
Two months later Ms Williamson adopted Bear – a dog her boyfriend had seen on social media.
"I immediately thought, 'He's so perfect. I know his struggles and I know what he is going through.' We both see life through one lens."
Bear was taken in by the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) in August when he was just one month old.
"Due to the trauma of being attacked, Bear's eye popped out of his socket," says ARF's Alison Rellinger.
The organisation made a plea via Facebook to help fund Bear's surgery to remove his eye. Ms Williamson adopted Bear the same day her boyfriend saw the post online.
"I couldn't let him sit in the vet's office one more night," she says. "I knew he needed to be home and loved on by his human."
Ms Rellinger says ARF just want Bear to have a safe and happy home.
"After such a rough start, we just wanted a home with lots of love. Somehow we end up finding the furry companion who just gets us."
Bear is still too weak to go outside, but he is full of energy.
Ms Williamson's shooting is believed to be part of an attempted carjacking. Her co-workers have raised money to help with her medical expenses. She says Bear, like her, is a survivor.
"We are not victims; we are survivors who get to share our story."
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