Luna's Story
If she did not come into my life, none of this would exist.
Luna came into Jo’El’s life in January 2022, around her 50th birthday.
Jo’El and her husband Jon were celebrating her birthday in Greenville, South Carolina when she saw a photograph of a dog on Animal Control’s website.
Luna wasn’t called Luna then. She had another name, which Jo’El believes was Paula. But the name didn’t matter. It was her eyes. Her ears were pinned back, and she looked incredibly sad and frightened. Jo’El couldn’t stop thinking about her.
In Jo’El’s own words:
Luna came into my life in January 2022 after a family crisis that changed both of us.
She was one of five large dogs living with two people who were unsheltered and illegally occupying a property. When her humans were arrested, the dogs were taken into Animal Control. By the time the people were released, the fines and fees had grown beyond what they could afford, and they were unable to reclaim the dogs they loved.
There was never any doubt that Luna had been loved. You could see it in her.
Her story stayed with me. It showed me how quickly a person’s crisis can become a pet’s crisis—and how easily a loving family can be separated when there is nowhere else to turn. It made me more sensitive to the people who are doing everything they can to keep their pets while facing housing instability, financial hardship, medical emergencies, or other overwhelming circumstances.
Luna became the reason I knew rescue had to mean more than removing animals from difficult situations. It had to mean helping prevent those separations whenever possible.
That belief became part of the foundation of Bartow Rescue & Resources, including The Luna Fund, which provides temporary care and crisis support for pets whose people are going through a difficult season.
She showed Jon the photograph. His immediate response was essentially: no. They already had Josie, their elderly Kuvasz, who was approximately 15 years old and experiencing mobility issues, and Jon was understandably concerned about bringing an unknown, large dog into the home.
But Jo’El couldn’t get the photograph out of her mind. Eventually, Jon agreed that they could try fostering her — and that began the search for a rescue willing to pull her from Animal Control.
The Barriers
The first rescue Jo’El contacted required a lengthy application. One question asked whether she had ever rehomed a dog. Jo’El answered honestly: yes.
Years earlier, she had a male Kuvasz who was Josie’s brother. He had experienced psychological trauma after being hit by a car, and his breeder ultimately asked that he be returned because she believed he needed to spend time in a pack environment to readjust. It was one of the hardest decisions Jo’El had ever made — but it was made for the benefit of the dog.
Jo’El was denied the opportunity to foster Luna because she had honestly disclosed that history. Another rescue later denied her because she would not vaccinate Josie, who was elderly and, in Jo’El’s judgment, too old to be vaccinated safely.
Meanwhile, Luna was still sitting in Animal Control. Jo’El became increasingly frantic because Luna had already been there for some time. The reports were that Luna was terrified. She stayed curled into a ball and showed no signs of wanting to interact with people. She wasn’t aggressive. She wasn’t growling. She was simply terrified. And at roughly 70 pounds, her size made people even more hesitant to approach her.
Eventually Jo’El found a rescue willing to pull Luna. Bartow County requires rescues to pull animals from Animal Control; members of the public cannot simply walk in and foster an animal directly.
The Dog They Had to Carry Out
Luna was so frightened that she could not walk out of her kennel. She was shaking violently. Animal Control staff had to wrap her in a blanket and carry all 70 pounds of her out. They didn’t even know whether she was spayed, because they were unwilling to handle her closely enough to check.
Luna was at risk of euthanasia.
This is the dog Jo’El had been fighting to get to.
The Moment Everything Changed
Luna was Jo’El’s first major foster. Jo’El and her daughter Macie carried Luna’s kennel into the house and placed it in a spare bedroom. They didn’t know her. She was a big dog. They had no idea what she would do.
Jo’El sat on the floor and opened the kennel door.
Luna slowly came out. She moved cautiously, with her head very low and her body crouched.
And then she climbed into Jo’El’s lap.
She let out a long, deep sigh of relief.
Jo’El started crying. Because in that moment, she knew: Luna finally felt safe.
Jo’El kept telling Jon that she would eventually find Luna a new home. She already knew she wasn’t going to. And she believes Jon probably knew it too.
Luna
The dog who had been so terrified in Animal Control became a completely different dog inside the home. Luna became sweet and confident. She became a calming force for many of the foster dogs who came through the house. She seemed to take ownership of everyone.
She became, in Jo’El’s words: “My girl that’s in charge.”
Luna wasn’t just a foster dog anymore. She was home.
Who Luna Really Is
Luna’s DNA was later identified through DNA My Dog as: 65% American Staffordshire Terrier, 24% American Pit Bull Terrier, and 11% Mastiff.
She is a combination of three breeds that often carry heavy stereotypes.
But Luna’s story isn’t about what people assume when they see those breeds. It’s about what happened when a frightened dog was given safety, patience, and time.
The dog who once had to be carried out of Animal Control eventually became the steady, confident presence who helped calm other dogs.
From One Dog to a Bigger Problem
After Luna came into Jo’El’s life, she continued fostering. Over the next couple of years, she fostered many different dogs.
And through those experiences, she began seeing much more than individual dogs needing rescue. She started learning about animal overpopulation, rescue capacity, barriers created by policies and procedures, the condition many dogs were living in, and the limitations of the existing system.
She also began to understand the unique situation in Bartow County. Animal Control is an enforcement agency—not a public animal shelter. People cannot simply walk into the facility and foster an animal.
And Jo’El eventually had a realization: How can a county of Bartow’s size not have a public animal shelter?
The problem was bigger than Luna.
The Question
At some point, Jo’El was talking with a friend about her experiences with rescues—the barriers, the policies, the frustrations, and the things she believed could be done differently.
Her friend simply asked: “Why don’t you just start your own rescue?”
The question stayed with her. When she left that conversation, it resonated. Why don’t I?
So she started researching. She started thinking about what a rescue could look like if she built it differently. She didn’t want to simply create another rescue that operated the same way. She wanted to do things differently.
And that idea became Bartow Rescue & Resources.
Jo’El obtained the organization’s Georgia Secretary of State registration on February 28, 2024.
What Luna Started
Luna was the first brushstroke. But she wasn’t the whole painting.
She was the reason Jo’El started looking more closely. She was the dog who showed her what safety could do. She was the dog who helped teach her that frightened doesn’t mean broken.
And she was the beginning of a much larger idea: the love we have for our pets shouldn’t depend on our circumstances.
That idea eventually became a community mission.
Inspired by Luna. Built by Community.
Every story begins with a first brushstroke. Luna was ours.
