The Daily Walk · Hutch & Waller
Shared by JoJo’s family; edited for length and clarity.
JoJo enjoying time outdoors. Photo supplied by her family.
In October 2025, JoJo ran outside to greet familiar people across the street. On her way home, she was struck by a vehicle.
For Ciara and Alex, an ordinary afternoon became an emergency. Their dog was badly hurt, and they did not yet know whether she would survive.
The months that followed brought emergency care, repeated treatments and a long separation while JoJo healed. They also brought help from people whose kindness became part of her story.
Compassion in the first moments
Alex was home when the accident happened. After Ciara received a call about JoJo, she returned within minutes.
Amid the fear, Alex noticed how upset the driver was. He reassured him that the family understood it had been an accident. Getting JoJo help mattered most.
That compassion would become a thread running through her recovery: a frightened family showing kindness, veterinary teams caring for a much-loved dog, and a fund helping when the cost of treatment felt overwhelming.
Help when it mattered
Ciara and Alex rushed JoJo to an emergency veterinary hospital in Ames, Iowa. She had internal bleeding, a serious wound on her left side and other injuries. According to Ciara, she spent approximately two days in the hospital while the veterinary team monitored her condition.
A feared bowel rupture was ruled out. JoJo was stable, but her recovery was just beginning.
As the bills grew, Ciara saw information about Iowa State University’s Iron Dog Fund. She scanned a QR code, learned about the program and reached out.
Ciara says the fund contributed $2,000 toward JoJo’s initial emergency veterinary bill.
It did not cover every expense. It did, however, ease the pressure on a family trying to focus on their dog.
“The Iron Dog Fund was my light at the end of the tunnel.” — Ciara
That help is one of the things she remembers most clearly: someone understood what JoJo meant to them and helped her family keep going.
JoJo wearing a protective collar and a bandage during her recovery. Photo supplied by her family.
Twenty-five days apart
JoJo’s wound needed more care than her family could provide at home while working full-time. After further treatment and emergency visits, her recovery continued at East Lawn Animal Hospital in Fort Dodge.
She stayed there for 25 days of medical boarding.
For Ciara and Alex, that meant going home without their dog while she received the frequent attention her wound required. Their veterinary team allowed the wound to heal gradually, with ongoing care and monitoring.
Ciara remembers the staff’s compassion as well as their work. They got to know JoJo, cared for her comfort and welcomed visits from her family.
When she finally came home, the wound was nearly healed. A small area still needed cleaning, but JoJo was back where her family had wanted her all along.
Recovery kept asking for patience
Coming home was a milestone, rather than the end of every difficulty.
Ciara describes further health problems that required appointments and ongoing care. In March 2026, JoJo also needed surgery on her left knee. She underwent a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy, or TPLO, on March 18.
Another recovery followed, with restricted activity, medication and veterinary follow-ups.
As Ciara shares her story, some of JoJo’s health needs still require monitoring. Her family continues to care for her through the improvements and setbacks.
Her story makes room for that reality. Loving an animal can mean celebrating the day they come home, then continuing to show up for the care they still need.
JoJo resting on the couch. Photo supplied by her family.
The people behind the recovery
JoJo’s story belongs to her family, but the circle of people who helped her grew along the way.
It includes the emergency veterinary professionals in Ames, the team at East Lawn, and the people whose generosity supports the Iron Dog Fund.
The fund helps eligible companion animals hospitalized at Iowa State’s Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center when treatment options exist but a family’s funds are limited. Despite its name, it is not limited to dogs.
Learn about the Iron Dog Fund and ways to support its work.
At Hutch & Waller, we are building a brand on a legacy of giving back. Sharing JoJo’s story is a way to recognize the care her family received and help others learn about a resource that made a difference to them.
Thank you to Ciara and Alex for sharing her journey, to the veterinary teams who cared for her, and to the Iron Dog Fund for the assistance her family describes.
Every pet has a story. This is JoJo’s.