A dog that had its ears chopped off as a puppy now has the best life ever after being adopted by a couple – who buy him a new toy every DAY.
JoJo, a ten-year-old Welsh corgi, suffered a campaign of cruelty at the hands of a neglectful owner.
He was forced to sleep in a cage in a windowless warehouse and had his ears cut off as a puppy-possibly to prepare him for dog fights.
The adorable pooch was finally rescued last year by an animal charity and has now been given a new start after being adopted by Kevin Karcher and his wife Leann, both 59.
The couple have made it their mission to spoil JoJo rotten-by buying him more than 200 toys.
He wakes up every morning to a new toy to add to his collection-which has so far set Kevin and Leann, a procurement manager, back over $1,000.
Kevin, a retired wine and spirits businessman, said: “He has been through so much. We can’t spoil him enough.”
The dad-of-two, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, added: “When JoJo first came to us he was nervous and afraid.
“He was riddled with arthritis and his ears were cut off as a puppy. The poor fella spent about six years in a cage by himself. He was like a prisoner of war.
“As soon as he walked into our house he immediately found a big blue rubber pig that honked and carried it over to his bed.
“Since then we have given him a new toy every single day.
“After a couple of weeks he began to settle in and he has become really comfortable now. He has his toys all over his bed-he must have at least 200, all piled up.
“We think he’s happy here and that’s terrific. To think this poor little guy has been through so much-that we are able to really make the rest of his life special is fantastic.
“He has been deprived of so much love and care. We can’t do enough for him.”
JoJo was rescued from a cold, windowless warehouse by Animals R Family founder Nicole Bruck, 48, when he was nine.
She took him to a dog adoption event in December where Kevin and Leann’s son Jordan, 30, happened to be working.
He runs a coffee company called Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co, which donates 20 per cent of its proceeds to helping rescue dogs from kill shelters.
Kevin said: “There were 400 or 500 dogs there. My wife was walking around and she said, ‘Do you think maybe we should do something?’
“I said, ‘Go and find the least likely dog to be adopted.’ She took me to this kennel and there was JoJo.
“Nicole gave us his background and I said, ‘Well that sounds perfect, we will take him.'”
Kevin and Leann paid for acupuncture, cold laser therapy, dental work and other treatment for JoJo to help with his arthritis.
He now lives happily with the couple and their two other dogs, Molly, a six-year-old dalmatian mix and Charlie, a ten-year-old poodle, and cocker spaniel cross.
Kevin added: “He really has settled into the family.”
Nicole, of Animals R Family, said: “As a puppy, JoJo’s ‘family’ had cut his ears off with scissors at home. We cannot even imagine the excruciating pain that must have caused him.
“They then dumped him at the rural facility when he was just 7-months old.
“Sadly, he languished there for the next eight years living in a cage in a windowless warehouse. There was no water in his cage, no blanket, no towel, nothing – just the cold, hard ground.
“His eight years of harsh prison life did nothing to dent his personality or his charm. He is as perfect as they come.
“Kevin and Leann spoil him rotten. He literally owns hundreds and hundreds of toys. He has more toys than most pet stores and that is no exaggeration.
“He is thriving and loving life.”
