TJ and his buddy, Lily, were rescued together from a hoarder’s home.They were the youngest dogs on the property, and were fortunate to live inside with their owner most of their lives, while other dogs were kept outside in a wood shed in the backyard. There was rarely fresh water or AC as the outside dogs suffered through the heat of SC summer, and lived in filth.  Our team was able to rescue 16 other dogs from that property over the years, and paid for Lily to be spayed, but were not able to get their owner to surrender them to rescue. Finally, when the owner went into assisted living, TJ and Lily were moved to an outside pen until the owner’s son decided to surrender them to Worthy Dog. We are thankful he did right by the dogs, and gave them a second chance at a better life.

TJ spent a few weeks in a SC foster home before coming to N. VA. He was initially timid, but has come out of his shell and loves family life. He was fostered in a home with two 13-year-old boys, a Lab, and a cat. TJ and the Lab were respectful of each other, but not best buddies, and he was afraid of the cat so learned to keep his distance. TJ is very much a people-oriented dog, and was great with the two boys. He followed his foster mom everywhere and was always in her lap or lying next to her. 

 

FOSTER UPDATE - 10/1/18

TJ’s is currently being fostered in the city with 2 other small dogs. His foster parents shared this update:

"He started off pretty timid the first few days, but has settled in nicely now.  He gets along great with our other dog (Taqo), managed to jump over the baby gate to hang out with her when we left him alone.  He's had free roam ever since. He is not destructive at all, and has done pretty well with potty training. He's not a fan of the crate, but we are working on introducing it slowly to him. 

TJ is a total lapdog.  He's pretty good on walks and likes going out to explore.  He has a playful side, but is not overactive or hyper.  He's definitely excited to see you when you come home, and seems to find comfort in having other dogs in the home. He’s really taken to Taqo, and even attempts to groom her! He likes to cuddle up to her every chance he gets. 

We feel the ideal home for TJ would be a family with a flexible schedule to spend time with him or another dog in the home. He would do best in a calm home with older kids, and he does have some escape artist tendencies at the front door, so a house with young kids is not ideal.

This cute little guy is has a very good nature, and is ready to blossom with the love of a good, stable home and family.

 

FOSTER UPDATE - 10/14/18

TJ’s doing well! Now that he's settled in and trusts, he doesn’t try to escape anymore, especially if I give him a treat before I leave. He hasn’t had any accidents in the home, he gets along well with our two pups, Taqo and Matilda, and even does well when they’re not around being an only dog. He's earned free roam privileges in our home, and we trust him. He walks fine on leash, no major issues. He still pulls a little when he's excited, but it's not bad. He's more of a laid back energy, but can get riled up for play.  He’s the easiest pup we've fostered thus far!

 

Apply today!

BREED ESTIMATE: Jack Russell Terrier mix 
GENDER: Male
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT:  15 lbs
APPROXIMATE AGE: 2.5 to 3 years
COAT TYPE:  short length
ADOPTION FEE: $350
OTHER INFO: utd on shots/neutered/microchipped
LOCATION: Washington, DC

 

FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT: Please go to http://adopt.worthydog.org and complete the application.

You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to http://foster.worthydog.org and fill out an application.

Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.