Little did Susan Curtis know that the day Zeus the Newfoundland was found abandoned on Duxbury Beach, his fur matted, skin covered in ticks, his body nearly overcome by Lyme disease, he would be the one to heal her. Two months before, Curtis’s beloved Olivia, a Spinone Italian, had passed away. Curtis said Olivia was gentle and well-mannered, the kind of dog who inspired love. As a service dog, she worked regularly with an autistic boy from Abington who was nonverbal. Soon after meeting Olivia, he began to speak. He asked for Olivia.

Olivia had been the perfect dog.

“And then Zeus appeared,” said Curtis of that day last June. A member of the Friends of the Duxbury Animal Shelter and a volunteer since its inception nine years ago, Curtis spends about 30 hours a week at the shelter tending to the animals. So naturally Eddy Ramos, the animal control officer, called her when the call came in about Zeus. Ramos, who’s worked at various shelters across Massachusetts for nearly 15 years, recognized immediately that Zeus was in crisis.

“He would have been put down at any other shelter because of his medical issues,” said Ramos. “He had significant Lyme disease, off the charts, and he had a reaction to the antibiotics. So we switched to Chinese herbs and put him on a special diet. It cost $300 a month just to feed him.”

A dog couldn’t end up anywhere better than at the Duxbury Animal Shelter. Supported largely by donations from the community, Ramos ensures it’s spotless and cheerful. Each crate is spacious and has a comfortable bed with a doggie door leading to a large outdoor area. Best of all, euthanasia is almost never performed. Ramos’s standing policy is placements take as long as they take. Zeus was a fortunate dog.

After lots of rest, a special diet and medical care, two year-old Zeus rebounded quickly. That was the easier fix. Zeus was prey driven, bent on attacking smaller animals as Ramos and Curtis learned when Zeus was at the shelter and around house cats, Arnold and Bernie. Without any formal training to guide him, Zeus was also prone to jumping on people and wasn’t used to a leash. He didn’t know how to follow a single command. Zeus’s behavior was a problem.

“About a month after he came here, Susan started working with him,” said Ramos. “He wasn’t a bad dog, he just had no manners.”

A daunting task for anyone, but for Curtis, still grieving for Olivia and physically smaller than Zeus, it could have been an issue.

“I was concerned,” said Curtis. “At first he wouldn’t make eye contact and he was 160 pounds.”

She didn’t give up, but she didn’t fall in love either. Every day she worked with him. Her shoulders ached from being jerked on the leash. She had to walk in the cemetery to avoid smaller dogs. Yet each day, under her care, Zeus improved and their bond grew a little more. As Zeus began to trust Curtis, he opened up to her and she to him. After a couple of months of repetitive training, he sat when she gave the command and met her eyes.

“That’s when I knew he was special,” said Curtis.

Eventually, Curtis began the task of socializing him. The two became a familiar sight around town.

“I’d walk him out front [along Tremont Street] and people would smile and beep,” said Curtis. “When I’d walk, I’d do the loop behind Town Hall. People would come out of their offices to see him. He was cautious at first, but he quickly thought they worked there just for him.”

Both Curtis and Ramos consulted with professional trainers, brought Zeus to Newfy Rescue Adoption Days in Connecticut and Maine, not to place him, rather, they believed it was their duty to ensure he would be an obedient pet before placing him with anyone. They wanted to spread the word that Duxbury would soon have a great dog available for adoption. Over the months, there were inquiries, but neither Ramos nor Curtis felt they found the right family for Zeus.

In December, they placed Zeus’s photo in The Healthy Pet shop in Pembroke. Over the past five years, owner Diane Dewberry has worked with the Duxbury Animal Shelter to place over 80 cats and several dogs. She knew someone special would have to adopt Zeus and she had just the man in mind. A customer of hers who owned a female Newfoundland had just lost his other dog and was bereft. One day when he came into the store, she made a match.

“He’s such a nice guy,” said Dewberry. “He saw the picture of Zeus on the door and I waited. I took my moment and started to tell him about Zeus, then I called Susan and had them talk.”

Over the next few weeks, the man and his Newfy came to visit Zeus at the shelter. Curtis and Ramos arranged for sleepovers at the man’s house to see if an extended visit worked. It did.

Finally, this Saturday, Zeus will go home with his new family. For Curtis, who said Zeus helped fill a void in her life after Olivia’s death, it will be the culmination of months of work and love by everyone associated with the shelter.

“This is what we’ve all been working for,” said Curtis. “When they drive away in the car, it doesn’t get any better than that.”