When a woman in Pennsylvania stepped outside onto her porch earlier this year, she discovered a terrifying package. A white, fluffy puppy was lying in an open cardboard box, and he was still.
Startled, the mother dialed her daughter’s number, who is employed at Speranza Animal Rescue.
“My mom called me in a panic because she found a ‘dead’ dog dropped on her porch in an Amazon box,” the rescue wrote in a Facebook post about the event. “Turns out this boy wasn’t dead, he was just unconscious.”
Rescuers were devastated to learn the puppy was just a year old when they arrived. He experienced seizures, and his pupils were hazy. The ailing dog, later known as G.I. Joe, was taken into the care of a veterinarian by the rescuers, who started him on the appropriate medication.
Days later, G.I. Joe’s kind disposition started to come back. He made pals with his new dog siblings after moving in with skilled foster mother Karen Spangler. Spangler believed that the scenario would only last temporarily, despite the fact that she fell in love with G.I. Joe right away.
“I didn’t want another permanent dog to add to my family,” Spangler told The Dodo. “I told multiple family and friends I would not become a foster fail.”
But as the weeks passed, Spangler came to the conclusion that G.I. Joe—or “Joey,” as she refers to him—was too precious to part with. Already, the gentle, inquisitive rescue puppy had developed strong bonds with her other two dogs and her grandchildren. Spangler loved G.I. Joe and wanted him to be comfortable.
“I could not put him through another change,” Spangler said. “That was it. I became a foster fail.”
Spangler can hardly fathom her life these days without G.I. Joe. Her other dogs have already benefited greatly from the activity and exercise that her new puppy has given them. Spangler plans to take G.I. Joe for walks on nearby country roads in the near future and is looking forward to his continuing training.
“They always say things happen for a reason, and this is so true,” Spangler said. “My family needed Joey. Never in a million years did I think he would turn out to be so sweet and smart. [I]m looking forward to seeing where he takes us.”
