Several years ago, we brought you the amazing story of Suzy, the dog who decided to take it upon herself to find a home for Christmas.
Back in the winter of 2019, Philadelphia was experiencing a storm and Suzy was wandering the streets looking for a place to stay warm and dry.
Lucky for her, the storm blew the front door of Jack Jokinen's home open, unbeknownst to Jack and his wife. When they woke the next morning, they found a malnourished and injured Suzy, in their home, and had no idea how she got there. The front door was locked, the back door was locked, so HOW did she get there?
Jack checked his security camera footage, and saw the dog limping up the street, passing their home then apparently circling back, climbing the steps and walking right in at about 3:15am. He realized then that he likely didn't push the door fully closed after taking their own dog, George, for a walk and the wind blew the door wide open later in the evening after everyone had gone to bed. Even luckier, a man walks by a short time later, sees the open door, and pulls it closed, which is why, when Jack and his wife got up the next morning, they were stumped at how the dog got in since everything was locked! Jack ended up finding that neighbor, who said he was concerned about the door being left open, so he closed it, and he and Jack have become friends.
Jack and his wife called animal control and were told that they could drop her off, and if she wasn't micro-chipped, she would end up in the system to wait to be adopted (and we know what happens to dogs that end up in the system sometimes) So Jack and his wife decided to take matter into their own hands. They took Suzy to the vet, and found out that she was about 9-years-old and not only did she not have a chip, she was malnourished, and had a few other age related medical issues that need to be attended to.
They decided that they would welcome Suzy into their family and let her live the rest of her life in peace and comfort.
That was FIVE years ago and Suzy's story has touched millions of people across the world, and donations poured in to help Suzy with her medical bills....when those were paid and there was extra money, Jack and his wife decided to pay it forward, and use the excess donations to encourage pet adoption, sponsoring $100 to every person who adopted a pet to help offset the cost of adoption. As a result, in the first year, they sponsored 366 adoptions! In the years since, Jack and Suzy have done countless interviews and have continued their work to help other homless pets find forever homes.
Today, Suzy is living her BEST life with her parents, two human sisters and dog brother George. Jack features their adventures on Instagram @SuzynPupman Jack's own Instagram is @jjfromthebronx
And now, there's a book! A Stray Dog For Christmas is all about Suzy's story. You can buy the book HERE.
Jack joined Amy on Wake Up Call to talk about the book, Suzy's story and how life has been since she walked through the door on that cold winter night. Listen to that interview below!
Photo: Jack Jokinen
Photo: Jack Jokinen