There’s a special canine in the neighborhood. He suffered severe trauma. He traveled many miles by air on a small plane. He was frightened and anxious and hurting. He has the ability to pull at the heart strings of humans just by getting on with his own life.
JoJo, an Australian cattle dog, made the front page of The Madison (IN) Courier September 3 after the newspaper picked up on a comment on their website from Brockport resident Laurie LoMonaco who adopted the dog in May from an animal shelter in Jefferson County, Indiana.
JoJo is somewhat accustomed to celebrity status, though neither he nor his human expect it. In early May, Suburban News and the Hamlin-Clarkson Herald ran a photo of JoJo, then newly settled in his home in Brockport, and told a bit of his story: Multiple gun shot wounds suffered in Indiana necessitated the amputation of one of his front legs. Pilots N Paws flew the dog to the area through liaison Duffy’s Friends, an animal rescue group. LoMonaco adopted him and committed to his care. Shortly after, she said her usual walks with the dog around Brockport were now taking longer because people stop her so they can meet JoJo. Area residents and boaters on the Erie Canal ask to have their photos taken with him. They upload photos to social media – his story goes global.
In August, the Westside News Inc. newspapers’ “Dog Days of Summer” feature included a photo of JoJo on his front porch, relaxing in his new neighborhood. Soon after that photo was printed, LoMonaco discovered the dog had little eyesight. A call to the Jefferson County shelter that had treated the dog confirmed severe head injuries had also been treated when the dog was brought in.
JoJo joins Lily, a nine and one-half year old cattle dog, and Chico, a four year old chihuahua and all are learning to get along. LoMonaco agrees that JoJo requires a lot of attention, especially now that he is sightless and she says, “I love them all equally and somehow they all get my attention!”
Just from a few short months of knowing him, LoMonaco has a long story to tell about JoJo’s perseverance and the effect he has on the people he meets. He went to obedience school through Animal Behavior Specialists and was awarded the Most Improved recognition. He goes to doggie day care once a week and socializes with other pooches. When LoMonaco found out the dog had made the front page of the Indiana daily, she sent an email filled with joy for him.
So it is that the three-legged, vision impaired Australian cattle dog is now invited to Albany in the spring, accompanied by LoMonaco, pilots Amy Yersavich and Mahesh Sankaran, and Monroe County Legislator Mike Rockow, as guests of New York Assemblyman Jim Tedisco for New York State Animal Advocacy Day. The assembly member is the sponsor of the New York State Animal Abuse Registry, a measure that has already passed the state Senate.
The Indiana newspaper article, the headline for which is used for this commentary, noted that in the area surrounding Madison, three shootings similar to the one suffered by JoJo have been recorded. In New York state, the legislation would require a convicted animal abuser register their name and address with police agencies and be required to undergo psychiatric evaluations. Such offenders would be banned from owning an animal for life.
Evelyn Dow
Editor
Suburban News and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald
On JoJo’s behalf, this is what Laurie LoMonaco submitted to the Madison Courier:
To the person in the Jefferson/Madison, Indiana area who intentionally shot me in early 2013. I lived. You probably thought you killed me when you intentionally shot me with the .22 gun. You probably thought all those bullets in my body would end my life. They did not. Miracle of all miracles I lived! Someone found me and got help for me. I ended up with the wonderful people at the Jefferson County Animal Shelter. … I don’t know what I did to deserve being shot. I lost my leg because of you. I lost my sight. I live with bullets in my body. But do you know what? A lady from New York wanted me. She arranged for 2 planes to fly me to her in May. I have my own house, a yard and a brother and sister now. My mom takes me a lot of places with her and everywhere we go, people love me and want to know my story. … My doctors say I am the most determined and spirited dog they have ever seen. My name is JoJo. Your bullets did not kill me. I am alive and I love my life.
9/8/13
