A puppy who was abandoned in the woods alongside the rest of her litter thought her troubles were over after getting adopted—but she was wrong.
Susan Taylor, a volunteer at Benton Animal Services in Arkansas, has made it her mission to champion the plight of Jynni, a canine resident at the shelter. Jynni is lucky to be alive.
“Jynni came into Benton Animal Services with six siblings, all puppies who had been abandoned in the woods,” Taylor told Newsweek. “They were all very skinny and fragile. The shelter was overflowing, so they had to live for a time in a horse trailer. The staff was doing the best they could to make room in a kennel.”
When space finally opened up, Jynni and her siblings were brought inside and given special food to help them gain weight. “Some of them slowly grew stronger, but not Jynni. Even with patient hand-feeding, she struggled to eat,” Taylor said.
Sadly, three of Jynni’s siblings had been left simply too weak to survive, following their abandonment, and passed away in the shelter. While some of the remaining puppies continued to get bigger, Jynni and her brother Remi struggled for a long time to eat on their own and gain weight.
“One by one, their siblings left for forever homes while Jynni and Remi were left behind,” Taylor said.They weren’t ever alone though. Taylor and the other staff and volunteers at Benton Animal Services were always in their corner.
Taylor spent countless hours with the pups, creating videos she shared to her TikTok, @beforeilearnedcivility, trying to get people to notice them. Gradually, Jynni and Remi began to gain weight. They got strong and, with Taylor’s help, learned to walk on leashes and play with stuffies.
All her hard work looked to have paid off: Jynni was adopted. “The shelter shared that update on social media, and it inspired a kind lady to come forward for Remi,” Taylor said. “I was sad to know they wouldn’t grow up together, but happy that they both had a fresh start in life.”
It was a joyous moment, but one that would prove short-lived. “A few days later, Jynni’s adopter returned her,” Taylor said. “He said his other dogs didn’t like her.”
Seeing Jynni back in the shelter so soon after being adopted was heartbreaking for Taylor. “She deserves more than to go from being abandoned to returned and overlooked in a kennel,” Taylor said. “She was the runt of her siblings and was always so sweet and had such love in her eyes—even when she was sickly.”
Being in a shelter takes a toll on a dog. A major review published in the journal Animals concluded that dogs often experience a significant psychological and behavioral decline during shelter stays.
The review noted that even well-resourced shelters struggle to meet dogs’ physical, mental, and social needs, resulting in chronic stress, reduced coping ability, and long‑term welfare deterioration.
Jynni’s situation is made worse by the fact space is limited at Benton Animal Services. Taylor is currently in the process of trying to find a living situation better suited to Jynni’s needs.
“I reached out to Adopt a Stray Rescue, a foster-based rescue organization that already stretched so thin by the overpopulation crisis here in Arkansas,” she said. “Even though they are so full, they said yes. A foster is queued up to take Jynni in so she doesn’t have to face the cold alone.”
While a foster stay is most welcome, Taylor knows it is only a temporary fix for Jynni.
“She needs a forever home that sees her as the tiny survivor she is, a home that can help a rescue clear space to save the next dog in need,” she said. “If there is anyone who is looking for a sweet, cuddly puppy who was born into impossible odds and needs help crossing the finish line into a new life, Jynni is waiting for them at Adopt a Stray Rescue.”
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