Nelson the Shar Pei has a new home, and a new buddy

Nelson the Shar Pei, Boston’s now-famous rescue pup, has a new home — and a new best friend named Mugsy.

Nelson came to the MSPCA after a harrowing journeyto Massachusetts from a so-called “puppy mill” in Missouri earlier this year.Hehad been critically ill with an intestinal illness, and theBoston animal shelter and outpost of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has been nursing the dog back to health ever since.

The goal was to find Nelson a home for Christmas, and that effort went viral this holiday season. More than 1,000 people reached out to the MSPCA aboutthe little guy, and about 50 submitted adoption applications or did “meet and greets” with him,according to Rob Halpin, a spokesman for the shelter.

Now, Nelson is headed to a new home, with Chuck Rees and Kayla Penney of Saugus.

The couple already own a Shar Pei of their own. Their 2-year-old, Mugsy, was also a patient at the MSPCA’s AngellAnimalMedical Center — after nearly a month in the hospital’scare in 2013, he recoveredfrom a rare flesh-eating bacterialinfection.

Rees, who took Nelson home Wednesday, told Metro he feels uniquely up to the challenge of meeting Nelson’s needs.

“It takes a lot of patience, because if you’re willing to fight for them, they’ll show you they’re willing to fight and I saw that in Nelson as well,” Rees said. “He’s ready to fight.”

When the two pups met for the first time in JP, Halpin said, “it was love at first sight.”

Nelson’s 15 minutes of fame have had a big impact on the Jamaica Plain shelter, Halpin said in an email.

“The MSPCA is profoundly grateful to everyone who shared Nelson’s story on social media and expressed interest in him,” he said. “Often in these scenarios the increased foot traffic to the adoption center means other dogs — and cats and rabbits — are adopted by folks who came in hoping for Nelson but still left with a new four-legged friend.”