In March 2021, Alexa Passarelli adopted a dog named Joni from a rescue centre on Long Island in the US. The volunteers simply explained that the animal came from Texas, but couldn't give her any more information about her history.
For several years, this was all the young woman knew about her crossbreed dog's past.
An unexpected clue
Everything changed during a visit to a friend in Houston, Texas. While looking more closely at Joni's veterinary records, Passarelli noticed a name and phone number at the top of the file. Her friend, who is involved in animal rescue in Texas, explained that it was likely the person who had first taken the dog to the vet.
Out of curiosity, Passarelli decided to take a chance. She sent a message to the number on the document, simply asking if the person remembered a dog named Cookie, which was Joni's former name.
To her great surprise, a reply came back quickly. The former owners remembered the dog perfectly... and were delighted to hear from her. They then sent her several photos of Joni when she was just a tiny puppy.
Passarelli was overcome with emotion when she saw the pictures. She later shared the photos in a video posted on her Instagram account, @tellingourtails.
A heartbreaking story
The former owners also told her why they had to give the dog up. They had adopted her as a Christmas present, but their lives were turned upside down in 2021 during the severe winter storm known as the Great Texas Freeze.
The extreme frost caused the pipes in their house to burst, leading to major flooding. Faced with the damage and the difficulties that followed, the family was sadly no longer able to care for the dog properly and had to surrender her to a rescue centre.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, this disaster led to a huge influx of animals into shelters, with some even being transferred to other states to relieve the pressure on local facilities.
For Passarelli, receiving these photos was a very powerful moment. She had never imagined that she would one day see pictures of her dog as a tiny puppy.
Today, Joni has found a stable and loving home. But thanks to that text message, sent almost by chance, her owner now has a precious piece of her history.
