Pet of the Week

Meet Jojo

Jojo, a 5-year-old Shepherd mix, is ready for a family of his own to love! For years, Jojo lived in a junkyard. Luckily, he ended up at HSSV, where staff immediately recognized his gentle nature and craving for companionship. They placed him in a foster home, where he's being lavished with attention while staff search for his new family. Jojo loves going for walks, playing with other dogs, and cuddling with people. If you are looking for a constant companion, please consider adopting Jojo!

Jojo is in our Homeward Bound program, which means his adoption fee will be waived. To schedule a meeting with Jojo or to learn more, contact Casaundra Cruz at (408) 262-2133 ext.183.

Learn How to Adopt Jojo!

How You Can Help

Every week, we ask the community to help us find one special pet a loving home. There are three easy ways to help, and you can do them all from the comfort of your home!

1. Click here to see Jojo's video, then share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

2. Print out the Jojo's profile and post it at your local hangouts.

3. Donate online to help animals like Jojo get the care they deserve.

How did you help the Pet of the Week? Post a comment and let us know!

Fostering My Love of Dogs

By Bridget Keenan, Director of Development

I just enjoyed my first experience as a dog-mom. I’ve found myself being tempted toward dog ownership recently, and I figured becoming a dog foster parent is a good way to learn if I’m the dog-type. My cats are super-affectionate, but I can’t bring them hiking, or to the local coffeehouse, or to HSSV’s dog-centric Walk ‘n Wag event. So I applied to be a foster mom and stuck my big toe in the water, dog-wise.

Casaundra, who manages our dog foster program, went easy on me with my first foster. Enter “Fergie” a little 9-pound Chihuahua/Mini Pinscher mix. She came to HSSV as a rescue from a local shelter where she was a stray, and she was terrified. She clung to me the moment she was put into my arms on a Friday afternoon. I was instructed that my only job was to love her up and build her confidence by introducing her to new things. I could do that! I zipped her into my fleece uniform vest and went back to my keyboard, and in about an hour she stopped shaking from fright.

She was very scared that first weekend, but came out of her shell by Day Two, and started showing signs of confidence. She was so affectionate, curling up on my lap or by my side, or being held on my shoulder like a baby. I nicknamed her “Lovebug”.

Even my cats got used to her, and she soon chose my cat Marigold as her best friend, chasing her around the house and batting at her playfully. My favorite moments were when I’d be watching TV covered by my “pet blanket”: Fergie and my two cats, all asleep along my body (chest, lap, legs). She got along well with my office-mate’s Beagle, Chip, too.

I struggled with wanting to adopt her, but knowing that if I did, I wouldn’t be able to care for other dogs in need in our foster program. In less than two weeks, I had successfully loved her up and built her confidence, and Fergie was ready for adoption. Within two days, she was adopted into the perfect home where she will have heaps of time and love devoted to her. Her new owners are a lovely couple who keep in touch and let me know that she is bonding quickly with them, and is fun and playful; they adore her.

It's a great experience being a foster mom. While it pulls on the heart-strings as I balance loving them completely and trying not to get too attached, I also trust the adoption system we have in place, and know HSSV will find the right home for them. It’s extremely gratifying knowing I’m the critical bridge between HSSV and their permanent home. Next week I’ll meet my next pooch, and the process will start anew.

Leo, the Mexican Hairless Foster Dog, and His Journey North

By Lauren Gallagher, Controller & Shy Foster Dog Mom

It’s a common occurrence. Casaundra Cruz from HSSV’s Regional Rescue department shows up at my office door, asking me if I am ready to take another foster dog home. She says “You have to come meet this one, he is right up your alley, extremely shy”. I can never resist the shy ones, probably because I consider myself on the shy side too. Casaundra also let me know that he was a rare breed, a Mexican Hairless, also called Xolo or Xoloitzcuintli. I quickly googled the breed. I discovered that the Xolos are an ancient dog breed that was considered sacred by the Aztecs. I was intrigued.

When I met Leo, he was very scared, shaking, and not eating. He also had an odd gait, kind of like a tiny newborn fawn, which was very unusual since he was almost two years old. Veterinarians had determined that Leo had a neurological disorder, but it did not affect his quality of life.

But what struck me most about Leo was his appearance. He had dark, rough, and wrinkled skin, which felt like an elephant’s skin on his lower back. He had only a tuft of hair on the end of his tail, a little hair on his feet, and a flat toupee of black hair on his head. Underneath his tee shirt, however, his skin was very soft. Therefore, we concluded that he had been left in the sun a lot (probably too much) wearing tee shirts. He had a farmer’s tan!

So I took Leo home, and he quickly became part of my pack. He was such a gentle and sensitive little guy, scared of sudden movements and noises. We knew he would need to go to an experienced, adult only home. He had the sweetest way of jumping up on me in such a gentle, tentative way, tugging at the heart. Leo was very mellow. He loved to lounge either on my lap, nearby me on the couch, or in the round cat bed. Legend says that Xolo owners could wrap their mellow dog's warm body around an ailing body part, even over the shoulders and around the neck, to relieve pain like a heating pad!

Soon after we took Leo in, a friend of mine was visiting us here at HSSV's Animal Community Center, and met Leo. She quickly told me that she has close friends who really love to adopt this rare Mexican Hairless breed. So we sent pictures of Leo to them. Well, after a couple conversations, they decided to drive here from north of Seattle, Washington with their two female dogs, one, also a Mexican Hairless, and the other, a terrier mix. Both of their dogs were very fearful when they adopted them, so they had extensive experience. They sounded like an ideal family for Leo.

It was love at first sight and they adopted him. I recently received a report that Leo is settling into his new home quite well. He follows around his new canine sisters and recently was seen basking with them in the rare Seattle sun. He will certainly lose his tan up there in the northern Seattle area, and will need to wear sweaters! Leo was by far, my furthest foster dog placement, but he is in his perfect forever home!

Lou Dog, the Heart Stealer

By Lauren Gallagher, Controller

When I heard HSSV had brought in 5 beagles that were rescued from a research lab, I immediately asked our Special Needs Department if I could foster one. I felt so compelled to reach out and help them. I was assigned the most withdrawn beagle of the group, a strikingly cute, almost 3 year old male. On the drive home, I felt like I needed to adopt him. He looked at me with sad brown eyes, and I thought about his past, and I was in love, connected to him.

We named him Louie, or affectionately Lou Dog. For the first couple of days, he did not want to eat. I assume that is because he had been on a consistent schedule at the lab. But now, about 3 weeks later, I can see he has come out of his shell and has become one of the coolest dogs around.

In the lab, he was only known as a number, which is tattooed inside his ear. These days he comes running with his tail wagging when I call out Lou Dog. My heart just jumps when I first hear his ID tag jingling, and then see him, excited to come to me, since for almost three years, he never had a name.

In the lab, he was conditioned to freeze up when handled, so measurements and tests could be administered. These days, he seeks out human touch and leans in for extra cuddling. He timidly jumps up on people's legs, asking for attention. My heart aches and I wonder how he can still trust humans after almost three years of testing.

Louie is extremely mellow for a beagle, and we assume that research beagles are bred to be lower energy. He loves to lounge quietly and nap most of the day, which makes him so incredibly easy to care for.

There is a potential adopter in the picture now, and I know my husband and I will miss Lou Dog tremendously when he leaves us for his forever home. We think that he will miss us, at least at first, but we know he can handle change. He has taught us about the incredible capacity that dogs have to trust and to live in the moment. We have watched him heal and grow into the coolest dog around, and know that he will be happy in his forever home.