JoJo’s journey wasn’t an easy one. Life had been especially cruel to her, and by the time someone finally found her, she was barely hanging on.
But just when things seemed hopeless, fate stepped in—with a little help from a kind stranger.
One evening in Sweetwater, Texas, Bri Burnett was heading home after a long day when her phone buzzed with a message. It was from a friend who had been near Lake Trammell and spotted a stray dog in rough shape. Attached was a photo that would stop anyone in their tracks.
The dog—later named JoJo—looked like she had been through a nightmare.
Instead of continuing her drive home, Bri rerouted straight to her friend’s place to check things out. What she found was heartbreaking. JoJo was thin, scared, and her body was riddled with painful porcupine quills.
“She needed help—fast,” Bri recalled. “There was no way I could just walk away.”
The quills had completely invaded JoJo’s mouth and head. The swelling was so intense she couldn’t even swallow. Without medical intervention, it was clear she wouldn’t survive.
Despite JoJo’s fear and pain, Bri managed to gently earn her trust and coax her into the car. Time was of the essence, and they sped straight to a veterinarian.
At the clinic, JoJo was placed under anesthesia so the quills could be safely removed. The vet worked for nearly an hour, carefully extracting each one. JoJo had to stay overnight, but Bri was there to pick her up the very next day.
“It broke my heart to see her in that condition,” Bri told the Western Journal. “But I knew helping her was just the right thing to do. I believe we’re all called to care—for people, for animals—especially when they’re suffering.”
Bri didn’t hesitate to cover the cost of JoJo’s treatment out of her own pocket. She also made several attempts to track down the dog’s owner, but the microchip information led to a dead end. No one came forward.
Still, JoJo’s story wasn’t over.
Bri took to Facebook, posting about JoJo’s rescue and recovery, hoping someone would see the post and want to give her the forever home she deserved. That’s when Haylee Stewart came across the story—and something clicked.
When Haylee met JoJo in person, it was as if they’d known each other forever. JoJo gently licked Haylee’s hand, and in that moment, both of them knew—they were meant to be family.
“She’s starting to act like a real dog again,” Haylee shared later. “Seeing her spirit come back to life… it’s just everything.”
As for Bri, she couldn’t have imagined a better ending to JoJo’s rough beginning.
“Welcome to the family, JoJo,” Haylee wrote with joy. “My duo just became a trio”.