The Village That Rescued Jojo

Jojo hanging out in the wild. photo: Alina Constantinescu, M Rocket

It’s hard to say exactly when Jojo (sometimes affectionately called Hobo Jo) first arrived on our property.  We’d found scat of a canine much larger than ours but assumed that either a neighbor’s dog or some monstrously large coyote had been visiting.  We live on an acre and a half of undeveloped land that backs up against Wildcat Creek on one side and a small, protected canyon on the other.  We’re used to all of the regulars: raccoons, deer, and even the occasional fox or possum, so having a nocturnal visitor wasn’t all that intriguing at first.

Our first real sighting of Jojo was after a neighbor installed a wilderness camera on our property in May 2022.  There he was, a new visitor, ranging around the property, checking things out. He seemed healthy.  His fur was reasonably clean and without mats, and we guessed he weighed somewhere around 70 pounds.  We couldn’t settle on a particular breed, but he seemed to be some sort of Shepherd mix.  It wasn’t a hard call to help the guy out considering he’d clearly been dealt a rough hand, so we started leaving dog food out, mostly leftovers from our own dog, installed more wilderness cameras, and even put up a doghouse (which he never really used more than to pee on).  

We realized that while he seemed ambivalent to the other wildlife in the area, even eager to engage with them (we once caught him trying to play with a skunk), he was absolutely terrified of people.  While there were no tell-tale signs of abuse, he’d clearly not had much opportunity to trust humans. At the first sight of a person, Jojo would retreat into the canyon where he’d already developed numerous escape paths for whenever he heard anyone approach.  This is also where he’d bring toys we’d leave out for him and occasionally his food bowl, which he’d sometimes steal.

We were content with the arrangement overall for a while. We felt that we were helping Jojo out even if he wasn’t able to appreciate it, but we had no real sense of how to remedy the situation more permanently.  When we reached out to various rescue organizations, we found Jojo was relatively low-priority given his good health and the overwhelming need that these groups face day-to-day.  It was also difficult to source a large enough trap for him.

We eventually had better luck reaching out through social media, looking for folks with fostering experience or with connections to those who might. Our posts were mostly geared toward finding someone with a yard and some time to help introduce more positive human interactions to Jojo.  

We were surprised - and lucky - to make contact with a multitude of people who were moved by Jojo’s story and wanted to help.  A post on the Point Isabel Dog Owners Facebook group connected us with Donna Holsten who offered great advice about trapping Jojo; she visited our property and encouraged us to keep spreading his story to the East Bay dog rescue community.  Through the Dogs of Albany Beach and Bulb’s Facebook group, we also got in touch with Mary Barnsdale whose wealth of knowledge and connections led us to Karen McNeal who provided a large dog trap.  We spoke with the wonderful staff at Berkeley Animal Care Services who discussed what Jojo could expect if he was turned over to them.  Michele Ortland brought her dogs over to see if they might be more successful than humans in getting through Jojo’s shell.  Jill Posener also provided a wealth of advice and support.

Rescued Jojo, resting in warmth, comfort, and safety. photo: Mary Barnsdale

Ultimately, on February 16, approximately nine months after he was discovered, we were able to trap Jojo and, with help from friends and neighbors, we transported him to Berkeley Animal Care Services. Jojo is currently in quarantine there where he’ll get a medical and microchip check after he’s rested up and they can interact with him.  We’re hopeful that he’ll be released to Mary Barnsdale to foster and put him on the path to positive human interactions and ultimately a forever home where he’ll be loved and spoiled. We also hope to keep in touch with Jojo and that someday down the road we’ll be able to have him come visit his old stomping grounds. 

The phrase “it takes a village” may have become trite through overuse. But if not for the care and support of dog lovers throughout the East Bay, Jojo would still be huddling wet and cold in our canyon. Thanks to that virtual village, he’s now sleeping on a comfy bed in a safe shelter kennel and on his way to a warm and loving forever home.

Co-written with Alina Constantinescu