'Hi My Name Is Kujo. I Am a Nice Dog.'
Abandoned dog with child's note in collar finally finds a good home.
Jan. 29, 2009 — -- When Cecilia Miller's 11-year-old grandson, Michael, found a freezing puppy in the backyard on one of the coldest nights of the year, she called her neighbor, lifelong dog lover Wanda Martin.
When Martin, 79, arrived, the emaciated dog was curled up outside the basement window of Miller's Alliance, Ohio, home, but he refused to come inside.
"I took a pillow and a comforter and put it in the dirt and the next day took cheese out of my pocket and gave it to him. From then on, we were buddies," Martin told reporter Tracy Carloss from ABC News' Cleveland affiliate.
It took a little while for the dog to warm up to her, but when Martin was finally able to pet him, she found a note written in a child's scrawl tucked in the mutt's collar. The note, punctuated by a smiley face, read, "Hi, my name is Kujo. I am a nice dog. My owner can't feed me. Please help me. I'm great with kids too."
According to Miller, the note was right on.
"He walked right in the family room and made himself right at home with my grandson," she told "Good Morning America." "He's real gentle with the kids and my grandson. He can be real contended and minds well."
Kujo's abandonment seems to be a sign of the tough economic times. Every year, nearly 8 million pets are put in shelters, and shelter workers say more people are giving up their pets as the economy worsens.
Martin and Miller, who is 77 years old, are jointly caring for Kujo, but they feel they don't have the stamina to keep up with him.
Martin believes Kujo is still a puppy -- between 6 and 9 months old -- though, at more than 100 pounds, he's hardly little.
Both women agree that the stray is gentle and very good with children. He also seems to be housebroken.
They are looking for a family with children to adopt Kujo. They've received a few offers, but no one seems to click yet.
To anyone interested, Martin said Kujo said they would get "a very beautiful, loving, big giant."
"He is the kindest little guy," she said. "He is, I'd say, part boxer, part shepherd. Who knows? But he is nice."
If you're interested in helping Kujo, click here to send an e-mail.
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