Joey is so special that everyone who meets him instantly falls in love. There’s no logical reason the 5-year-old pit bull mix should’ve spent more than 500 days in a shelter, but — through no fault of his own — that’s exactly what happened.
The sweet pup quickly became such a staff favorite that when Joey’s forever family appeared to sweep him off to the life of his dreams, they knew they had to send him off in the most magnificent way possible.
“The staff always wanted to make sure the shelter dogs knew how loved they were, so a special send-off was started by us so the dogs knew how much they meant to us and to make them feel happy about going to their new home,” Kimberly LaRussa, Sweet Buffalo comes to your rescueThe Dodo founder told The Dodo
It was a sad day for their long-term residents so the farewell party had to be extra special.
“We wanted to give Joey a relaxing and calm send-off, so we thought we could put some leis on him as a sign of friendship and give him treats,” LaRussa said. “It was really beautiful to see him with all the leis he accumulated towards the end of the send-off.”
Joey was a stray who arrived at the shelter in the spring. No one could have imagined that the sweet, loving dog would still be there a year later. Joey was ignored by shelter staff and never received any interest in adoption. The endless wait finally brought Joey to his rescue.
“[He] adjusted the best he could,” LaRussa said. “He was very much loved by the former staff and volunteers. But as time went on, we could tell he longed for something more than we could give him … a nice warm bed, cuddles at night, his own people to love him.”
LaRussa saw Joey crying in his kennel, and was devastated. She decided to do something about it, and recorded a quick video that she shared on social media. The interest started to pour in. However, one couple stood out, Melissa Leuer and Daryl Koczaja.
“I remember watching his videos over and over while crying and thinking to myself, ‘Someone needs to help this poor baby,’” Leuer said. “Little did I know, it would be us.”
Joey was met by LaRussa and potential adopters at his home. It was a great meeting.
“The moment we all met, we were in love — he was such a sweetheart!” Leuer said. “He ran straight to Daryl and gave him tons of kisses. We just felt like he was meant to be with us like he was waiting there the whole time till we were ready for him.”
Though Joey took a few days to warm up to his new life, he’s now the biggest snuggle bug, who greets them with a smile every day.
“Joey is still just as wonderful as the day we adopted him,” Leuer said. “[He’s]He brought laughter and joy into our home. We look forward making more memories with him, and giving him everything he’s always wanted. We truly couldn’t ask for a better dog!”
