Kris Robinson was at the Senatobia-Tate County Animal Shelter’s main office when she saw someone walking across the yard. A dog followed the young guy very closely.
“He told the dog to stay outside, and she just sat down,” Robinson, acting director of the shelter, told The Dodo. “He came in and said, ‘I’m wondering if you could take my dog.’”
The shelter was packed, but Robinson could see the teen needed help, and just a little luck.
Robinson saw how attached her dad was to the pup. named Jada, so she took down his details and had him fill out a relinquishment form.
“She really clung to him, he was kind of stepping around, and she was clinging to his leg,” Robinson said. “She’d get real close to him and sit down — she was scared.”
Robinson noticed the teen wiping his face as he walked away from the shelter. Robinson took Jada into the office to relax, but she was clearly confused as to why her dad was not there.
“She climbed up on one of the chairs and looked out the window,” Robinson said. “I went in the back to do some cleaning and when I checked on her, I saw her just laying there with her food.”
Jada felt more at ease with Robinson the next day, but Robinson realized that no one could ever replace her dad.
She decided to share the dog’s tale on Facebook in the hopes of gaining some support from the local community. She had no idea, though, how much attention her message would receive.
“I wanted to point out what this kid did and his character,” Robinson said. “He didn’t ask for anything for himself — he just wanted to make sure that [Jada] was OK.”
Offers to foster the puppy began to stream in from all across the country, but Robinson felt they could do one better.
Robinson contacted a nearby family who offered to take in the kid and his dog, but the young guy declined.
“I had made contact with him and said, ‘Look, these people want to help you,’” Robinson said. “He said, ‘What do you mean? Do they want to adopt her? Can I come see her first?’ And I said, ‘No, buddy, they want to help you.’”
When the teen and his family came to the shelter to pick up Jada, it was a VERY happy reunion.
“She ran up to him and jumped up on him,” Robinson said. “He was just loving on her, and had a big ol’ smile on his face.”
Jada and her dad have finally found a place to call their own – together. Jada is receiving the medical attention she requires, and the teen can concentrate on his studies.
“He’s getting his high school stuff in order and then he’s going to take some classes at a local city college, and go to the dentist — things he’s never done,” Robinson said
