Jojo’s name was back on the foster board, waiting for someone else. Jeni Incontro had returned from a work trip expecting the dog to have been adopted. Instead, she saw that small sign of another departure and understood that she wanted him home with her.
I saw Jordan’s name on the board to go get fostered by someone else, and I just kept thinking, ‘No, no, no. This is my dog.’ And then I came back and adopted him, Incontro said.
Jordan, known as Jojo, had already traveled a long way toward that moment. He was found wandering through the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant in the Pasadena area. Employees gave him a hamburger patty and water, then called Pasadena Humane for help.
Incontro said Jojo weighed 48 pounds and was extremely emaciated, flea-infested and sick when he was found. His history remained unknown, and there was no verified explanation for how he reached that condition. What shelter workers could see was a dog who remained gentle, friendly and affectionate.
For a severely malnourished dog, recovery cannot safely be rushed. Pasadena Humane explained in its account of Jojo’s recovery that animals in such poor body condition must receive food in measured amounts that gradually increase, sometimes over many weeks. Its veterinary staff monitored Jojo as he received the nutrients and portions he needed.
That caution matters because malnourished animals can face serious fluid and electrolyte shifts when nutrition is reintroduced too quickly. ASPCA veterinary guidance recommends a structured refeeding protocol and close evaluation during the early stages. Owners who encounter an extremely thin or sick dog should seek veterinary or shelter assistance rather than attempt to manage the animal’s recovery alone.
Jojo steadily improved under Pasadena Humane’s care. Once he was ready, the shelter placed him with Incontro while continuing the search for a permanent family. Away from the kennel, another part of him became visible: He was trained, housebroken and comfortable with people. Incontro suspected he may once have lived with a family, but she acknowledged that she could not know for certain.
What a foster home can reveal
Fostering gave Jojo a place to continue his transition, but it also gave the shelter information that is difficult to gather in a kennel. Pasadena Humane says its foster program offers longer-term residents a break from the shelter and helps prospective adopters understand how an animal behaves inside a home. Foster homes may also support animals recovering from illness or injury, with supplies, medical care and guidance provided by the shelter.
Those everyday observations can sharpen an adoption match. A caregiver may learn how a dog handles routines, responds to people or settles into household life. Foster volunteers are also expected to communicate with shelter staff, follow care instructions and coordinate necessary check-ins or adoption arrangements.
A foster placement remains temporary unless an adoption is formally completed. That distinction gives caregivers room to assess the responsibilities of permanent ownership while allowing the shelter to oversee the animal’s placement. For Incontro, the decisive test came only after Jojo had returned to Pasadena Humane before her trip.
When she came back and found him still waiting, the possibility of another caregiver taking him home changed the question. Jojo was no longer simply a dog she had helped for a while. She returned to the shelter and made the arrangement permanent.
Pasadena Humane later reported that Jojo had risen from 48 pounds to a healthy 74 pounds. Staff members from across the organization attended his adoption send-off, marking the end of a recovery shared by veterinary workers, volunteers and the foster caregiver who had become his person.
Now Jojo lives with Incontro, where his days include fetch, tug of war and belly scratches. After all the measured meals, shelter care and temporary goodbyes, his name no longer waits on the foster board.
Have you ever adopted a dog with a story like this? Share it in the comments.
By Jake Patterson — Freelance feature writer and former animal-shelter volunteer focused on rescue, adoption, and second-chance dog stories.
