Jojo was given a bleak prognosis when he arrived at the Hillsborough County Animal Shelter in Florida. The small Pomeranian resembled a teddy bear at 14 years old, but she had been through a lot in her life, writes ilovemydogsomuch.

She experienced fleas and ticks, severe pneumonia, hair loss, and convulsions. She was also paralyzed in her rear legs, had a heart murmur, and had dental issues.

“A dog like this would have been killed in the past,” said Scott Trebatoski, director of the county’s Pet Resource Center. “I believe that five to seven years ago, if they saw a dog as old as 14 dragging its rear legs, they would have simply stated, ‘There’s nothing we can do.’” Nobody is going to want it.”

Because the county shelter was unable to handle a special needs dog, they sent an email to a network of 125 animal shelters to share Jojo’s story and photo.

Lisa Letson of True & Faithful Pet Rescue Mission chose to help Jojo. As it turned out, the dog shown a strong will to survive and fight the good fight.

Eventually, little Jojo was going to be okay despite all her health issues but she needed a forever home. Thanks to professional actor and dancer Mayte Garcia, the little pooch was about to hit gold.

Mayte had a dog named Ziggy who was in rough shape, having been found in a box on the side of a road. Ziggy passed away but Mayte loves to adopt senior dogs.

“There was just a connection when I had Ziggy,” Mayte explained. “I’m not sure if it’s because they realize someone has given up on them, or because they’re older and know how to express themselves, but there’s a sense of thankfulness you feel.”