JJ was surrendered as a stray.
They didn’t know where she came from.
She was so small,
like a loaf of bread.
She had wounds of an unknown origin to the face.
At that young of an age, she was not able to stay in the shelter.
She was handed to me, and I brought her home.
I want to help this dog and make sure she gets a home.
- Yum.
The first thing she did when she got to my house,
she was wrapped up in a blanket, and she fell asleep right on my chest.
I was terrified she wasn’t going to make it through the night.
She was so little.
But she stayed that whole night.
And she was definitely tired that first day,
but the next morning,
as soon as she had the medication and started to feel a little bit better,
she did the little growlies, and--
- Oh, you’re vicious?
- It was the cutest.
She is so spunky, and this little brat.
But she’s really the coolest and happiest puppy.
She’s a ball of energy.
- That’s not fair.
What are you doing?
- She really likes to try and initiate play with my other dog.
- Be nice to the baby. Good boy.
- But something wasn’t adding up.
There was no response from her, and I said, this is interesting.
She is deaf.
So I knew that I had to do everything possible to help JJ.
It’s especially important to incorporate hand signals for her training.
Understanding the specific needs that she has
is really important for her forever home.
It turns out she sleeps really well because she doesn’t hear anything.
She can feel vibrations.
- JJ was featured in a video on the Dodo.
The response was overwhelming.
Everybody fell in love with JJ.
How could you not?
- But because she has special needs,
we had to make sure that the home she was going to was prepared.
As she’s aging, she developed a skin infection
because of all of her health issues.
So we needed a little bit more time.
She’s always battling something,
but she’s still the very spunky dog that she is.
- Oh my god, this is the happiest dog I’ve ever seen.
- She’s stubborn, but she knows a lot,
and she’s very, very smart.
It’s an incredible feeling to watch her progress.
She’s not fearful of new people or new dogs.
She’s very much, I want to be your friend.
It’s a really proud thing to be able to see her
blossom into the dog that I know she’s going to be.
She’s eight or nine months now.
Healthy and ready to go out the door.
The ideal home for JJ would be one with
adults who have older children.
And she definitely would benefit best with another dog in the house.
- We are really excited because we have recently received an application
from a woman named Kristin.
- I found JJ on the Dodo.
There was something about her story that just spoke to us.
I need something to love.
We have one eight year old American Staffordshire terrier named Sawyer.
Sawyer is lovable,
snuggly.
I know Sawyer would be a good big brother.
- Today is the day that Kristin and her family
are going to come meet JJ.
And hopefully, if all goes the way we think it’s going to go,
they’re going to take her home.
- I’m a little bit nervous.
But I am super excited about it.
- That’s your new dad.
- JJ went right up to the family
as though she’s already been living with them this whole time
and hasn’t told us.
- JJ goes and gives Beckett a kiss,
and I know that we have made the right decision
to drive from Virginia to New Jersey to get this dog.
She is the cutest little thing I have seen in a long time.
And I think we all knew right then and there
that this was going to work out.
- I have to tell you,
I haven’t seen her this affectionate with strangers at all.
- She actually followed the hand commands of our ten year old son immediately.
So that was nice.
- I’m just excited to teach her more sign language.
- We really need to make sure that these two dogs hit it off together,
because if they don’t, JJ can’t go home with them.
- She’s incredibly social,
and immediately wanted Sawyer’s attention.
He passed with flying colors.
- Hi guys.
Hi, hello.
Listen, I’m making an album cover right now.
Hey guys!
- It’s going to be emotional to watch her go.
Because I’ve been with her since the beginning.
Since she was a little loaf of bread.
But it’s very, very relieving to know that she has her forever home.
- You did amazing with her.
- Thank you.
- I am so excited.
It’s just taken a really long time to find her perfect family.
And I think that this is really it.
- Go have the best life, okay?
- When we first bring JJ home,
a lot of that first day, the first week,
was getting to know each other, and getting to know her behaviors.
Getting to understand the hand signals.
She’s the biggest snuggle bug.
Like, you’re on the couch and she’s diving in,
coming across your lap.
And it’s really unbelievable just how adaptable she really is.
Sawyer and JJ
have become very fast BFFs.
They are constantly together.
If he’s laying down on the bed,
she is just squeezing herself in with him.
Whether he wants her to be there or not,
she’s like, “I’m coming in.”
- Hi. Hi sweet face.
- It’s been a month since JJ has been in our home,
and things are going really well.
She is completely comfortable with us.
There’s nothing more fulfilling
than rescuing a dog that you know needs a loving home.
And she just completes the house.
It’s like she has always been here.