It is well documented that pets have a positive impact on mental and physical health. As a medical provider who spent several years working with kiddos with end stage heart failure and heart transplants, I have seen first hand the amazing things that happen when a therapy dog walks into a room. Jason and I want to provide that same light and happiness to others so we have decided to start a new tradition at J&B Doodles, the Star Puppy Give Away. Our inaugural puppy give away will happen soon and will continue going forward with special pups from future litters.
Why do we call it the Star Puppy Give Away? Let me explain...
Star was born with 12 littermates on 8/7/2021. It was obvious from her size that she was premature. At birth, she appeared lifeless but was pink. What seems like an eternity, but in reality was only a minute or two, passed after she was born with no movement and no breathing but I could feel a heart beat. Then, she took a single gasping breath. The tiny little puppy with a star shaped white spot on her left shoulder was trying to survive. She continued to struggle, breathing only a few times for the next several minutes. This little girl wasn't giving up and we refused to give up on her. For the majority of the first hour of her life, Jason did compressions on her tiny chest and mouth to nose breathing. While he worked on the little girl we called Star, I helped her momma deliver more vigorous, bigger puppies. Shortly after the 11th pup was born, I heard a squeal. It was Star!! She was finally breathing on her own.
The next 48 hours were critical for her survival. She was too weak to nurse (from mom or a bottle) so she was syringe fed every 3 hours. She gradually became stronger and learned how to nurse but she remained much smaller than her littermates. We continued to bottle feed her several times a day for the next 3 weeks to ensure she received the necessary calories for her tiny body to grow. She fought hard to survive and by 4 weeks of age, she was actually bigger than one of her brothers. She is still smaller in size than most of the litter but she is big in personality!
We knew Star was special from that very first squeal. She fought, she overcame, and she survived!! Jason and I believe she had a bigger purpose, a special role to fill. There are so many people in this world who have had a rough start to life like Star and countless others who have struggled physically or emotionally at some point on their journey. We believe Star survived to help someone, we just needed to find that special someone...
We had 39 applicants from 18 states for our inaugural Star puppy give away. As we read through the applications, we were touched by so many inspiring stories. Jason and I knew we needed help with this very important decision so we asked several family members to help us. As we read through the applications, one stood out with all of us. Here is an excerpt from the application of Melissa and Kendall of North Sioux City, SD:
"Kendall is an amazing person who has had a lot of challenges in her 16 years of life. Kendall was born with a congenital heart defect that led to a valvuoplasty at 3 days old. She was later diagnosed with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. A lot of people don't understand Kendall's unique quirks and she's struggled with friendships at times. She loves all kinds of animals and forms great bonds with them.
Being selected as the recipient of Star would change her life. Working with such a beautiful, special puppy would challenge her and bring her out of her shell. Puppy classes, walks, and interacting with others could help her social skills more than you could imagine. Our family supports Kendall and all she does and we know that Star would have an amazing home with us!"
Once the decision was made, we made a phone call to Kendall and her mom to share the exciting news. A few days later, we drove to meet Kendall and give Star to her new furever family! So many smiles, happy tears and hugs that day will forever be ingrained in our hearts and minds.
Jason and I have been blessed in our lives and are honored to be able to give back and help others! In 2021, we had our first Star puppy giveaway but it certainly will not be our last.
Contact us (email, text or call) for more details about our Star puppy program.
*Selection of the recipient is solely at the discretion of J&B Doodles. We will provide the puppy at no cost to the family. The family chosen is responsible for travel expenses for puppy pick-up, vet expenses, quality food, etc. J&B Doodles retains no liability toward those who apply but are not selected.
updated 1/13/2022
We truly appreciate all the interest in providing a new, loving home for our special girl, Star. There were so many inspiring stories but one of them caught each of our eyes. Congratulations to Melissa and Kendall of North Sioux City, SD. Star is one lucky little girl who is going to be so loved in your home!!
This was our first Star puppy give away but it certainly won’t be our last! Thank you again to all who applied!!
We were proud members of the Elkhorn community for over 40 years and started a new chapter in Wahoo in 2020. Through the move, the pandemic and uncertainty it brought to society, our family has continued to be blessed with good health, stable careers, supportive family and friends, and amazing clients. Jason and I want to give back to our community and what better way to do that than with PUPPIES!! We created our Star Puppy Give Away which allows us to provide puppies to individuals or families with special needs. We have also decided to donate puppies to local charitable organizations to help them with fundraising!
Our first puppy donations were to Skutt Catholic High School's 2021 Hawktoberfest Angel Flight fundraiser. We provided a phantom color female f1b mini bernedoodle (Sky) and a sable color male F1 standard bernedoodle (Hawk) for the event's live auction. We are beyond excited to have had this opportunity to support Skutt Catholic High School and show them our appreciation! We are looking forward to participating in their 2022 event!!
2022 is starting off to be a great year at J&B Doodles!!! Stay tuned for a very exciting partnership announcement - here is a sneak peek of Mia and the adorable merle poodle that are kicking things off!
