Problem Pit Bull Spent Over 700 Days in a Shelter but Finally Finds a Forever Home

(Illustration - Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock)

Just before Christmas 2019, the Fox Valley Humane Association in Appleton, Wisconsin, posted a picture of a sad-looking pit bull on Facebook along with a handwritten sign expressing a simple wish: “I’ve lived in a shelter for over 700 days. I'd love a forever home for Christmas. Jax”

Christmas came and went, and Jax remained at the shelter, unchosen. So, the shelter staff, along with dog lovers on the internet, went all out to make sure that Jax got the forever home he needs in 2020.

Jax is a “southern gentleman,” as his profile on PetFinder describes him, who found himself in the northern state of Wisconsin via the Bark Bus, a special service that picks up homeless animals from overcrowded shelters.

“These dogs, with otherwise uncertain futures, are brought back to Wisconsin where they are assured to find their loving forever families,” according to Fox Valley Humane Association (FVHA).

Jax is one of the over 300 dogs that the Bark Bus brings to America’s “dairy state” each month, yet he has been more difficult to place in a forever home than the others for a few reasons: firstly, he’s a pit bull and suffers from the stigma surrounding that breed, that they are violent and aggressive; secondly, like many homeless dogs, Jax didn’t have the benefit of socialization to help him learn how to behave around others (besides his carers).

The long weeks and months of shelter life began to take their toll on Jax. “We’ve noticed that he’s starting to get a little depressed in his kennel,” FVHA executive director Vicki Prey told We Are Green Bay. “He’s very affectionate, and he’s ready to go. He’s ready to go be your boy.”

While the energetic pit bull is “extremely loyal to humans,” as Prey notes, Jax can be particular about other dogs and would not be able to handle cats at all, according to his profile, which has put off a lot of potential adopters.

After the FVHA posted the heartbreaking Christmas photo of Jax, many dog lovers took to the comments section to express their support for the homeless pooch but also said that they had other animals such as cats, which he wouldn’t mix well with. Jax’s online friends, though, did start up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money on his behalf.

The campaign’s organizer, Andrew Achtner, shared on the sponsorship page, “The goal of this ‘GoFundMe’ is to cover the adoption fee of $150 and eliminate the financial barrier to finding Jax his forever home.” All the publicity generated a lot of interest in his case.

Mason Kuhfal from the FHVA noted on Facebook that they had received dozens of applications and over 200 messages on the phone inquiring about Jax. The good news is that with people writing in from all over the country and offering to drive out to Wisconsin to take Jax home with them, Jax finally was adopted earlier this year. So, we want to wish Jax the best of happiness in his new forever home!