Jo-Jo.
ANSONIA – If guardian angels exist, then Jo-Jo the Australian silky terrier came face to face with hers this week.
The 10-pound, 14-year-old dog escaped from her yard on Columbia Street Tuesday morning (Feb. 11) and came close to plunging into the icy cold waters of the Naugatuck River.
Had it not been for the bravery of 21-year-old Jessica Ames, a bystander who saw Jo-Jo near the water, the dog’s owner said the outcome could have been much different.
Jo-Jo, who is partially blind and deaf, escaped her backyard through a stuck-open gate, according to her owner, Carol Lexa.
Lexa, who has a broken foot, said she felt powerless when she began to look for Jo-Jo.
“I felt so stuck and helpless on my porch,” Lexa said. “I called my sons, and they got here quickly. One of them immediately posted Jo-Jo’s picture on Facebook, to let people know she was missing.”
Not long after the Facebook post went live, Lexa said somebody posted they saw Jo-Jo in the middle of the road on busy Main Street, near General Muffler & Auto Supply.
“That’s my biggest nightmare, because she is partially blind and really deaf,” Lexa said. “She’s so little and I was afraid she would get hit by a car.”
Lexa called Animal Control Officer Jeanne Roslonowski. Roslonowski went to General Muffler, where two women said they had spotted the dog.
The two women were Kathy and Jessica Ames, of Oxford. The little dog had run down a steep, snow-covered embankment behind the building.
“The dog was about 10 feet away from the water,” Roslonowski said.
Roslonowski called Ansonia police for assistance, but Jessica wasn’t going to wait. Armed with gloves and a towel, she began making her way slowly down the hill.
“She made her way to Jo-Jo, who was barking a lot, and she kept talking slowly and sweetly to her, and was able to throw the towel on her, wrap her up and make her way back up the embankment,” Roslonowski said.
Three Ansonia police officers arrived and helped pull Jessica and Jo-Jo to safety.
“If Jessica didn’t talk to the dog and maneuver herself like she did, the dog could have run into the river and it would have been a very different story,” Roslonowski said. “This girl was amazing for what she did, she had no fear.”
Roslonowski reunited Jo-Jo with Lexa a few minutes later.
“I can’t even put into words the feeling I had when Jo-Jo was returned to me,” Lexa said. “She was a little shaky and had some ice stuck underneath her. I gave her a nice bath, a haircut and a can of tuna fish. She’s back to her old self again. I’m on cloud nine just to have her back.”
Lexa said she’ll be keeping Jo-Jo on a leash attached to the porch when she needs to go outside, to ensure the little adventurer can’t run away again.
Lexa said she’s forever grateful to Jessica for rescuing her beloved pooch.
“I could not be happier for what she did,” Lexa said.
Lexa called Jessica, who had just turned 21 the same day, to thank her later.
Jessica’s mom said Jessica has always been the type of person to help anyone in need, especially animals. Ames said Jessica and Jo-Jo’s paths crossed for a reason.
“Any animal she has ever come across, she will help,” Ames said. “She relocated a turtle that was crossing the road and ever since she was little, she was kind to all kinds of animals, from snakes to spiders. I’m used to her doing stuff like this. It was definitely a proud moment.”
