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UPDATE: Family Who Adopted Wandering Stray Dog Helps Other Rescue Pups

Written by: Molly Weinfurter
Molly Weinfurter is a writer for iHeartDogs, and she’s passionate about helping animals in need. She volunteers for Bailing Out Benji and a local dog rescue.Read more
| Published on July 13, 2020

Seven months ago, a stray dog named Suzy wandered into a stranger’s home in Philadelphia. She was cold and malnourished. Luckily, Jack Jokinen accidentally left his front door open a crack and a storm blew it open. So, Suzy wandered in and made herself at home. A kind neighbor then closed the open door, not realizing there was a stray dog inside.

Without hesitation, Jokinen and his family cared for Suzy. They later adopted the 9-year-old pup, and now, they’re encouraging others to do the same.

dog laying by couch
Image: @SuzynPupman/Facebook

Suzy Advocates for Dog Adoption

When Suzy was recovering, many people donated to help with her medical bills. She had to go through many procedures, including extracting 17 teeth. The procedures cost a total of $7,000, but the family received a lot more donations than just that.

Kind people around the world helped raise $40,000 for Suzy’s medical care. However, she ended up making a quick recovery without needing the extra money. So, Jokinen thought of ways that his family could use the money to help other animals in need.

malnourished stray dog
Image: @SuzynPupman/Facebook

On top of that, Suzy also encourages others to adopt dogs through social media. She shares animal adoption stories to help show how amazing dog adoption truly is. Now, her family has decided what to do with the extra donations too.

“All along, when people gave us all this money at the beginning for our medical expenses, we said, well we want to use extra money to help other animals,” said Jokinen.

Dog kissing larger dog
Image: @SuzynPupman/Facebook

Money for Adoptable Dogs

Jokinen and his family have finally found a way to thank people for the support. They will put $10,000 toward 100 animal adoptions. The next 100 people who adopt a dog will receive $100 to help them get started and to help encourage people to adopt. If they don’t want the money, they can always choose someone else to send it to.

Anyone who is about to adopt a dog can fill out a form on Suzy’s website to be considered for the $100. Jokinen is always happy to see dog adoption stories, so now he’s happy to help even more dogs find homes. After all, Suzy’s story has already inspired so many people to adopt.

Dogs cuddling on couch
Image: @SuzynPupman/Facebook

“We hear all these touching stories that we’re making an impact, we get messages from all over the world,” said Jokinen. “And it’s at a time when so many people are against each other. It’s nice to have that positivity and it’s been nice for us to get to play a role in it.”

Not all stray dogs are as lucky as Suzy, but if more people choose to adopt, they could be. Suzy and her family will never stop encouraging dog adoption. After all, not only did they save Suzy’s life, but Suzy also made their lives even better.

https://www.facebook.com/SuzynPupman/videos/301554090995868/

H/T: 6abc.com
Featured Image: @SuzynPupman/Facebook

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