Jones came into his family’s life during a tough time when they needed a loving companion. Somehow, right when they needed him, he made his long journey to make magic happen. Read Jones’ earlier blog article on our site here.
Written by Ivy Schroer
I was never one to say things were “meant to be” but it is hard not to use those words when recalling the story of our boy Jones. In early November we unexpectedly lost our pittie Pandora to cancer. It was a devastating blow losing my heart dog of 14 years.
Meanwhile Jones, an adolescent pup, had already spent over a month at the Elba County Shelter in Alabama.
In late December, our other pittie Angus was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Our already grieving hearts were shattered. Just days later, Jones was pulled by Wiregrass Animal Group after three months in the shelter. Little did anyone know this was the beginning of his long journey to us!
Gus battled cancer for the next 4 months. Our life was ruled by chemo appts, medication doses and managing his symptoms. Our third dog Beatrice was our little rock during the tough times and helped to cheer us all up when needed. Jones continued to flourish in his amazing foster home but unfortunately he had no local adoption interest.
The beginning of May we said goodbye to our GusGus and our once family of five dwindled to just three. Bea experienced being an only dog for the first time and it did not suit her. It became evident that we humans could not fill the void of a canine sibling. Over the next couple weeks our once bossy and silly Beatrice became more and more depressed and we knew we had to put our grief aside and find her a sibling stat!
Video by Milla Chappell @realhappydogs, his Foster Dogs “guardian angel” and temporary foster mom
This is where our stories collide with ultimate kismet! While Bea longed for a buddy, Jones the homeless blonde hunk from Alabama was tugging at the heartstrings of Milla of Foster Dogs Inc. Soon enough arrangements were made for Jones to be transferred to NYC in hopes that he would gain more adoption interest in the Northeast. That was just two hours from us! Fueled by Foster Dogs Inc’s passion, over forty generous donors funded Jones’s journey. What was even more amazing was that Milla’s young daughter sent a personal thank you message to every single donor! Talk about an animal advocate in the making!!
Needless to say, after Jones arrived in NYC we were chosen to be his family! The moment he entered our home our family felt whole again. Bea overcame her grief and turned back into her silly bossy self and Jones was overjoyed to have his very own home with a canine sibling. They quickly became inseparable!
When I look back at the synchronicity of our stories and how many people were involved to get our boy home I am still amazed and I can’t help but say it was “meant to be”! Thanks to Foster Dogs’ willingness to look beyond the immediate obstacle of distance, Jones, the formerly unwanted dog, is finally home and Beatrice is grieving no longer.
Jones' incredible journey to his forever family is definitely one for the books. With the help of some amazing people, he was united with his family just when they needed each other the most. Talk about perfect timing! Looks like things that are meant to be truly will find their way to you.
Follow Jones & Bea on Instagram: @thepinebarrenpups
Jones had a caring long-term foster home in Alabama, with a temporary stay at Real Happy Dogs. His original foster family (through Wiregrass Animal Rescue) made the generous offer to drive him north, covered by our wonderful donors! Once in NY, Jones lived in foster with Alexandra Lloyd of @adoptabledogsofnyc. From there, he met his new family… and the rest is history.
Photos by @adoptabledogsofnyc @realhappydogs @thepinebarrenpups
