Even for a dog, JJ’s living the good life.
The little mutt spends much of his days sitting on the couch with his human best friend, watching TV and snacking on cheese and pepperoni.
He’s about 10 years old, but nobody really knows for sure, and appears to be part wiener dog and part Chihuahua with giant puppy-dog eyes that could make the Grinch’s heart grow another size larger.
But just five days ago, JJ was facing a much more dangerous and uncertain future. Apparently put out of a semitruck along Interstate 90 near Sheridan, JJ was more likely to be squashed by an unsuspecting vehicle whizzing by at 80 mph.
That’s when he met Becca Grace.
That Night On The On-Ramp
Grace was driving to her home in Story from Sheridan on Saturday night when she turned onto the exit 23 on-ramp to I-90. It was 9:30 and dark, and Grace was starting to accelerate when she saw a semitrailer parked at the side of the ramp.
“I was in town grabbing dinner and was just hopping on the interstate, getting on the on-ramp and there was this semi pulled over,” she told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday. “And when he pulled out, there was this little dog left behind, and he started chasing him as (the truck) pulled away.”
Grace said it was pure luck she was there to see the tiny dog in her headlights.
“I stopped, scooped him up and took him home with me,” she said.
While she didn’t see someone toss the dog out of the semi, Grace said that seems the most likely way the dog got there at that time. It also didn’t seem to have been outside in the elements for any length of time.
“I’m pretty sure I saw the semi in front of me drop him off, but if you’re missing him, please let me know!” Grace posted to social media after getting home.
A New Home For JJ
Right away, the dog took to Grace and her family, she said.
“He’s great. He’s sweet and gets along with the other dogs,” she said. “He was trying to lick me right away. He was a little scared at first, but he got used to everyone quickly.”
Without a microchip and only wearing a flea collar, there was no other identifying information on the dog.
And while he got along well with her family, the pooch has a new home with some neighbors who live close by, Grace said.
“They’re perfect for each other,” she said.
The husband’s name is James, and they call the dog JJ — short for James Jr. — because they’re kindred spirits, she said.
“That’s because they both like to sit on the couch, eat snacks and watch TV,” Grace said.
And while the dog was a little skinny when she found it Saturday, that’s quickly changing as JJ is spoiled with nibbles of cheese and pepperoni, Grace said.
“A lot of people have told me nobody would ever leave their dog like that, but there are people who would,” she said. “They leave their dogs on the side of the road and make them somebody else’s problem. I like to think anyone in Sheridan would’ve done the same thing and picked him up.”
Stray animals who need a little help seem to be drawn to Grace, she said, adding she’s happy to be there.
“I think it was just luck I was there at that time,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “A couple months ago when I was driving up to Billings, I found a kitten in the middle of nowhere there on the (Crow) Reservation, so they just kind of find me.”
Grace said she and her friends would love to find JJ’s owner, but if that doesn’t happen, he has a happy home in rural Story, Wyoming.
Greg Johnson can be reached at greg@cowboystatedaily.com.
