For weeks, Lucky the dog didn't seem to suit her name.
Despite being the sole survivor of a shocking and brutal attack in March during which Nathan Thompson bludgeoned her nine siblings to death with a brick in bushland near Kurri Kurri, she continued to suffer from the physical and mental trauma.
"When she came to us she'd suffered serious blunt force trauma to her head, and there was a lot of concern about how serious and long-term the neurological damage she suffered would be," Jessica Conway, a spokeswoman for the RSPCA said.
"She did a lot of sleeping as she tried to recover from it all."
Even after the physical signs of the attack started to disappear, Lucky continued to suffer.
"She's suffered a lot of anxiety since the attack, she actually loves people and she doesn't like to be alone," Ms Conway said.
"It's a pretty typical reaction for anything like this, they start to suffer separation anxiety once they find people they love and trust."
But now, after months of treatment, a bit of luck for Lucky. The dog was released into her "forever home" on Thursday, to a family in the Hunter region.
They have asked for privacy, but they are a family with a history caring for dogs that have suffered a traumatic episode.
"Once she turned the corner and started to come back to us and develop like any normal puppy, it was just a matter of when she'd find a home, not if," she said.
"And they're fully aware about the potential future costs of treatments and that sort of thing which was important."
Now, finally, at six months old Lucky can focus on the things that most puppies do.
"She's starting to grow into her feet and ears, which has been quite funny to watch," Ms Conway said.
Nathan Thompson pleaded guilty to nine animal cruelty charges – one for each of the puppies he killed.
He also previously pleaded guilty to causing prolonged suffering to one of two surviving puppies, Lucky, and resisting arrest.
In May, he was jailed for 12 months without parole.
He has already been banned from having anything to do with animals for the rest of his life.
