Jojo
The following story is in the words of Jojo's mom, who came to our adoption days, met Jojo, fell in love with him, and decided that he needed to become a member of her family. She was so very concerned, as were we, that Jojo was having such a difficult time at the shelter. We'd explained our concerns to his present mom and she felt as we did that he needed to get out of there as soon as possible. She wasn't really in position at the time to take him, but wanted to save Jojo ASAP. She like some of our past adoptive families made important changes in her life in order to make it happen. And now, for her story...
I went to the Petsmart in Potomac Yards for no real reason, but the Chow rescue happened to be there the same day. I had been considering getting a dog for some time, but didn't really act on it because I lived in apartment that didn't allow dogs. While at the store I saw all of the chows, and thought they were all adorable and loving, but it wasn't until I saw Jojo that I realized I HAD TO HAVE HIM. He was so funny and playful. He couldn't get enough petting in. Anytime I stopped rubbing his head he immediately nudged me. I knew that I had to find a new apartment.
Jojo didn't have a foster home. He was living at the Washington Animal Rescue League. I made frequent visits to the shelter to see Jojo so I could get to know him better. I was surprised the first few visits, because he seemed like a completely different dog from the fun loving playful dog I saw at the store. In the shelter he shared his cage with another chow mix who obviously dominiated him. When called he recognized that it was his name but was too afraid of his roomate to come. He would get visibly frustrated and nervous, pacing back and forth trying to approach the front of the cage without the other dog in the way. When I was able to take him outside he was some what unresponsive and very shy. I was very concerned with this drastic change in behavior, but was assured by both the shelter and the rescue league that this was because he was in a shelter.
Jojo has been with me for about 8 months now and I couldn't be happier. He's the kindest (not to mention the most beautiful) dog I've ever met. He's energetic and always seems to be smiling. At first he was a little wary of fully trusting me and seemed to be afraid of certain sounds and motions. We have since worked on his fears and he is very trusting and very confident. This is not to say that he is fearless, he does seem to be afraid of smaller dogs, which is usually kind of funny. While Jojo cannot be trusted off the leash, (he loves to run more than anything in this world) he is very well behaved.
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