Christina was still learning how to live with the quiet left behind by her beloved dog Benji when another little dog unexpectedly entered her life. Benji, her 10-year-old Bichon and Poodle mix, had died unexpectedly in May, leaving Christina heartbroken after years of companionship. Friends assured her that another dog would eventually come along, but Christina knew grief could not be rushed. When she finally felt ready to open her heart again, she also knew she wanted to give that love to a shelter dog waiting for a second chance.
“I knew I didn’t want to buy a puppy,” Christina said. “I know there are always dogs in shelters who need homes.”
While browsing the ASPCA website, Christina spotted Joon, a 3-year-old Maltese mix staying at the organization’s Recovery & Rehabilitation Center in Pawling, New York. Her first thought was that plenty of people would want the little dog, but she decided to submit her information anyway. Soon, Christina was invited to meet her.
“I was definitely interested,” said Christina, who drove from her home in Queens to Pawling. She felt as though something was already pulling her toward Joon before they had even met.
“A voice was saying, ‘Let me help heal your heart,’” she recalled. “I knew if I met her, I wouldn’t want to leave without her. She was already pulling at my heartstrings.”
Joon Had Her Own Heart to Heal
Only weeks earlier, Joon had been in a very different place. On April 11, she was discovered inside a cardboard box that had been left on a street curb in Queens. NYPD officers investigated the circumstances surrounding her abandonment, but the case was eventually closed without an arrest. Joon was taken to the ASPCA Animal Hospital, where forensic veterinarian Dr. Alison Liu examined her.
Although Joon had no physical injuries, her condition showed that she desperately needed care. Her coat was severely matted and soiled, and the skin around her hind end was inflamed after prolonged exposure to urine and feces. She was also underweight and noticeably fearful.
Staff sedated Joon so they could carefully remove the painful mats, bathe her, and treat her irritated skin. Because she had been underfed, she was placed on a gradual refeeding plan that allowed her digestive system to safely adjust to receiving appropriate amounts of food again.
Her emotional recovery required just as much attention. Joon was transferred to the ASPCA Recovery & Rehabilitation Center, where she could begin healing in a quieter environment designed around her behavioral and emotional needs. At first, Joon wanted little to do with the world around her. Staff placed a crate in her larger living area, giving her a protected space to retreat whenever she felt overwhelmed.
“She was shut down and traumatized,” said care and enrichment technician Kelly Lewis.
Kelly initially had to carry Joon outside. Yet within only a few days, small glimpses of the dog beneath all that fear began appearing. Joon discovered the grass. She sniffed everything around her and even started racing around with sudden bursts of joyful energy.
“She would get the zoomies and loved sniffing the grass,” Kelly said.
Those moments marked the beginning of something important. With treats, patience, and gentle, consistent interactions, Kelly slowly showed Joon that people could bring comfort instead of fear.
Over the following weeks, their bond deepened. Joon began spending her days in Kelly’s office suite and gradually became comfortable around a small group of other staff members. She was especially attached to Kelly and would spin excitedly near her door whenever her trusted friend appeared.
Kelly approached every interaction carefully, allowing Joon to set the pace. Even simple routines were adjusted to make her feel safer. Staff left her collar and harness on during the day so they would not need to repeatedly handle her to put them back on, then removed them at night. Little by little, the frightened dog who once hid away began accepting affection. She gained weight, became more confident, and eventually curled comfortably in Kelly’s lap.
“She just needed to learn how to be a dog,” Kelly said. Watching that transformation became an experience she knew she would never forget.
Then came the meeting nobody expected. When Christina arrived to meet Joon after driving from Queens, the dog who had once been so hesitant around unfamiliar people did something surprising.
“She bolted toward me,” Christina recalled. “The staff told me she wasn’t usually like that.”
Five weeks of patient rehabilitation had helped Joon become more prepared to trust, but her immediate response to Christina still felt remarkable. Kelly saw the same relaxed and contented behaviors Joon had developed with staff appearing naturally with the woman who hoped to take her home.
For Christina, the connection she had sensed while looking at Joon’s photograph became real. She had arrived carrying the grief of losing Benji, while Joon carried the emotional scars of abandonment and fear. Their paths had been very different, but both were ready for a new beginning.
Once home in Queens, Joon continued making herself comfortable. The dog who once sought safety by hiding inside a crate began seeking something entirely different: closeness.
“She has gotten very comfortable with finding space on my lap, in my arms and in my bed,” Christina shared. “As I write, she’s nestled into the blankets on my bed.”
Joon now shares her home with two canine companions, Sugar and Rocky. While Christina is at work, Joon spends time with Christina’s mother and enjoys playing in the family’s backyard.
Her world is no longer limited by the cardboard box where she was found or the fear that defined her earliest days in recovery. She has grass to explore, dogs to play with, blankets to burrow into, and people whose laps and arms have become safe places to rest.
Christina also found something she had not tried to force after Benji’s death. She found room in her heart to love another dog, without replacing the one she had lost.
“She has a great spirit,” Christina said. “I knew I’d fall in love with her when I saw her. Adopting her is the best decision I’ve ever made.”
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