Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.
On Thursday, July 19, Jefferson County Animal Control and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office were involved in securing a large mastiff that was roaming the area of U.S. 27.
The large canine had found its way into the roadway, and many passersby expressed concerns for the large, obviously frightened dog and commended the JCSO's deputies, Sheriff McNeill and Animal Control's Robbie Slack for their determination to secure the dog safely without stressing him further.
Following securing the dog and having him evaluated by vets, Slack attempted to locate the mastiff's owners.
The search proved fruitless, and the mastiff was turned over to Pam Boswell with The Mastiff Rescue of Florida.
But this mastiff's story was far from over.
The dog was given a new name in honor of the community where he had been found: Monticello (or Monti, for short). He was then taken to a vet in Clearwater and boarded in a kennel until a foster family could be secured.
Monti qualified for the “Oldies But Goodies” program within the rescue, where foster-adoption families supply the food and love for the dogs while the rescue covers the heartworm prevention, required vet bills and flea or tick medications.
That is where Valerie and Jack Jones, of Orange City, FL, came into the picture.
Boswell called Valerie, who is a volunteer and foster family with the mastiff rescue, asking if she could take Monti in.
“I knew when I brought him in,” Valerie said, meaning that she knew when she picked Monti up on July 22 that he'd found a forever home with her. According to Boswell, Monti settled in quickly with his foster-adoption home; “He just loves everybody,” said Boswell.
Monti loved playing with toys and soaked up the affection at his new foster home.
“He just loves attention,” said Valerie. “He just wants someone to love on him.”
Whenever someone enters their home, Monti is right there at the door, ready to greet any newcomer.
“He's brought smiles to all of us,” said Boswell, adding that Monti is rarely far from Valerie and Jack and frequently lounges nearby in Valerie's office while she is working.
“Monti is the perfect gentleman,” added Valerie Jones. “He is a great, great dog.”
After settling in, Monti received plenty of rest, and the Jones family state that they will be working on helping him gain some weight; according to the Jones, Monti loves food and they don't expect weight gain to take too long.
On Tuesday, July 31, Monti was taken to the vet for a check in for his weight, and though he had only been with the Jones for a little over a week, he'd already added nine and a half pounds to his already considerable size.
“This big guy definitely had some guardian angels watching over him,” wrote Valerie Jones. “Thank you to all of you in Monticello for getting this big boy to us.”
“The help that we got from everybody in Monticello was... it was fabulous,” added Boswell.
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