I told you! Super cute. Anyway, I thought I'd allot some time here to share Jinjoo's story. I adopted Jinjoo last fall from Forever Home Rescue, an animal rescue agency in Massachusetts. Last fall at Brown, I had an extremely trying semester. A lot of chaotic drama happened around me from which I could not easily remove myself, and I became wrapped up in a slew of negativity and emotional destruction. As I was dealing with my depression at the time, I had an intensely difficult time being alone. Because I was already intending on adopting a dog post-graduation, I selfishly decided to adopt one earlier so as to help me with my loneliness and perhaps regain sanity. My parents agreed to let me get a dog...hesitantly for they were worried that the responsibilities of a dog might drive me crazy. I searched for weeks all over petfinder.com, filling out applications left and right. One application finally came through for me...and it was Jinjoo...who at the time was named Thelma.The blurb on Jinjoo's (then Thelma's) web page read that she had been abandoned by previous owners along with her four puppies. She was only 1.5 years old and had already been a teen mom! They described her as a black Pomeranian mix who was extremely friendly and just a sweet-heart! Who can say no to such a description? I showed my mother the pictures of Jinjoo posted on petfinder.com. I guess the pictures of her back then were not so flattering, because my mom did not seem too thrilled with this option. Still, she was the only one that came through and I was desperate~ I NEEDED to have a dog in my life.
The way the adoption process worked was that I had to fill out paperwork and undergo an interview/observation. The timing actually worked out perfectly because the day the woman who was interviewing me decided to come check me out was in the middle of the week during which I was dog-sitting for my parents. So the woman was able to see how I interacted with my family's dog, Yeppi. I passed the test with flying colors and now just had to wait a couple of weeks before they could transport Jinjoo/Thelma from Tennessee. See, a lot of these adoption agencies bring animals from the South because down there they euthanize strays by the thousands. Could you imagine killing Jinjoo in a gas chamber because some selfish owners threw her out their back porch?? Anyway, Jinjoo needed to be prepped for this transport so she had to get all of her vaccinations and needed to be registered. After this was completed, Jinjoo was to be put in a crate on a truck filled with other dogs (a puppy truck they call it) and be driven several hours to a veterinarian in Massachusetts. I could then pick Jinjoo up from the vet.
On Saturday, November 1st (Yeppi's 6th Birthday), my parents and Yeppi drove up to Providence to come with me to pick up Jinjoo. We were all extremely excited, but also nervous. My mother later told me that she thought to herself, "what if she's not a cute dog? How will I pretend that she is to Soyoung??" I think I probably worried about the same thing...but I was most concerned about whether or not the new puppy would like me and would behave well for me. Was I really in over my head? What made me so sure that I was ready to raise a dog?
When we got to the vet's in MA, my parents, Yeppi and I all waited outside for about 15 minutes until the massive trailer-looking puppy truck drove into the long driveway of the vet's clinic. The head of the pet adoption agency, Linda, ran up to the door at the side of the truck, which opened downward like an entrance bridge to a castle. The driver of the truck appeared from behind the door with a dog in his hand. This was a small boxer named Wilma, who had a whole lot of spunk. The driver handed the dog to one of the Forever Home Rescue staff members who wore a pair of gloves. She told the eager young girl waiting for her new pet, Wilma, to wait outside. None of us could touch any of the dogs until they received one last shot...or something like that.
Then Linda told the driver to get the black Pomeranian, Thelma, as well...that was our dog. The driver carried out a very hairy, fluffy, and dirty black Pomeranian, whose face was cuter than any I'd ever seen. My mother took pictures of Thelma as she took her first glances at the North East. Linda then carried Thelma to the back of the vet's office and we waited some more. Thelma finally came out, we finished the necessary paperwork, then my family and I took my new puppy to my home in Providence.
I renamed Thelma in the car...she is now Jinjoo and has lived with me for the last 9 months. At first we went through many a trying transition...adjusting to one another was difficult for the both of us. Rather quickly, though, she came to understand that I was her new owner, and I have come to know everything there is to know about Jinjoo. I know what makes her happier than anything else in the world (food), what makes her more frightened than anything else (thunder), how she behaves with other dogs (poorly...she's a feisty one), how much she loves my family and me, and so much more. She is truly truly my one and only baby. When she's sick, I hurt too...when she's sad, I cry too...when she's happy, my heart lights up. She absolutely saved my life last fall, so I owe her everything. I love her with all of me and wish I could live with her for the rest of my life.
So that's Jinjoo's story...for now anyway. I'm sure I'll have lots more to share in the future :)
Oh I miss you Jinjoo too.
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