From the archives: This story was last updated in July 2019.
We often like to think that we as humans are the ones who choose animals. Many people buy and sell them regardless of the animal’s input.But one incredibly touching story in Canada showed that it really should be the animals that choose us as family and not the other way around!
It all started back in 2013 when a pit bull and Staffordshire Terrier mix named Mojo was abandoned at the Baie Ste. Marie Animal Society in Nova Scotia. Joey Wagner, the shelter’s owner, immediately fell in love with this sick 4-month-old puppy.
Mojo was suffering terribly from demodectic mange, an infestation of mites that feed on the hair follicles. His case was so awful that he had sores all over his bare skin and was left without any fur.
“It’s just like in human medicine—a lot of it comes down to the will of the patient to get better and he certainly has that in spades.”
But Joey Wagner hadn’t forgotten his little friend. “We know that he’s going to have a long recovery ahead of him,” he told the CBC.
While at AVC, Mojo showed tremendous improvement, but his hair wasn’t growing back because of damage to the follicles. When Wagner traveled over 300 miles to see his rescue, he was delighted to hear that the pup was doing so much better.
But nothing could have prepared him for how happy Mojo was to see the human who had saved his life. When Wagner arrived at the clinic, the vets had the little guy wrapped up in a T-shirt and blanket to keep him warm.
At first, Mojo just sniffed around for a bit after the vet put him down. But then he walked over to see who the strange visitor could be. As he got closer, he saw a familiar face and smelled a familiar scent. Then he exploded with excitement and began jumping up and down, kissing Wagner all over the face, and almost pushing him to the ground.
Mojo was so excited, he jumped up into Wagner’s arms just like a little kid and even knocked off his buddy’s baseball cap.
The vets just couldn’t believe how happy this pup was to see his rescuer, especially since he had been relatively weak and had low energy after his horrible bout of mange. Not surprisingly, the video was liked and shared thousands of times, touching dog lovers all over the world.
While many people who had heard Mojo’s story were flooding Wagner with kind offers to foster or adopt him, Wagner knew that this dog was just too special to let go. He decided that the least he could do was give the loving pup a forever home.
Appropriately enough, it was Valentine’s Day, and Mojo definitely became Wagner’s valentine as he took the dog home. Since then, Mojo has lived a wonderfully happy life with Wagner and his dog sibling Stevie, also a rescue.
An incredible journey for the dog that could survive being abandoned, and a powerful message that love wins out in the end!
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