Victory! JoJo the Dog Saved From Euthanasia

After months of court hearings, justice has been served for JoJo the dog, and he is now safe. JoJo faced euthanasia after biting two children, even though the incidences occurred out of self-defense.

A huge thanks to Care2 members who signed our petition to protect JoJo from an unjust fate.

JoJo had lived with his owners and their two children without incident in their former home. It was only after the family had moved to a trailer park when the so-called vicious behavior began. His owners, the Wheeler family, noticed neighborhood children would tease him and throw sticks towards their yard to get the dog’s attention. When JoJo would run up to the fence, he would receive an electric shock. The children would do this over and over again in amusement, despite the family asking them to stop. Eventually, two incidences arose where the boys came in close contact with JoJo and were bitten by him, since JoJo had associated the taunting and shocks with the children. Clearly, these “attacks” on the children occurred as a result of provocation.

California law states a dog cannot be labeled vicious if it was provoked, yet JoJo was given this title and taken away from his owners anyway. The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Control claimed there was no evidence of taunting, and ordered JoJo to be euthanized because of the threat he posed.

However, thanks to the tireless efforts of Care2 members Travis Rosquez and Denise Wheeler, the ruling eventually turned in JoJo’s favor after an appeal was filed. Rosquez and Wheeler took several measures to save JoJo, including hiring an animal behaviorist to help determine JoJo’s aggression as non-existent, securing pro-bono legal representation and creating a Care2 petition to spread the word on their cause.

Now, JoJo is living in the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary where he awaits adoption. While the Wheelers were unable to have JoJo back in their home, they are grateful for all those who helped save JoJo throughout this ordeal. Supporters have started a crowd-funding campaign to help pay for JoJo’s expenses from the last few months, which you can visit here.

http://www.gofundme.com/40nyjs