Meet Picasso!
Liesl Wilhardt, 51, knew she had to save this wonky-faced pup...
Scrolling through photos, I was looking at the dogs at a shelter in California. But one four-legged friend stood out straight away.
He was called Jaws and it soon became clear why he’d been given his name.
Just looking at the photos, you could see he had a wonky jaw, with his nose pushed to the right and his overbite pushed to the left.
‘Poor thing,’ I said to myself. As I read on, I could see that he’d been abandoned two days before Christmas in 2016 and was now due to be euthanised.
Having instantly fallen in love with his crooked little smile, there was no way I was going to let that happen.
Besides, my life has been dedicated to rescuing dogs from across the country.
After graduating from Harvard University, I set up my own non-profit animal welfare organisation, Luvable Dog Rescue, in 1999.
Over the years, I’d rescued thousands of dogs from ‘death row’ and also helped fund a community spay and neuter program for low income pet owners in Oregon.
It was incredibly rewarding and seeing dogs find their ‘forever homes’ was what it was all about for me.
As I looked at the photos, I knew I had to help Jaws.
I learned he had a brother named Pablo, who didn’t suffer from the same deformity, and they were both transferred to my rescue centre in Oregon.
Arriving in early
2017, they were both incredibly nervous.
To me, Jaws looked more like a work of art, so I decided to name him Picasso in homage to the artist’s famous wonky-faced paintings.
‘Welcome to your new home,’ I soothed.
Having both been street dogs for so long, they were pretty wary of people.
They’d never walked on a lead, never worn collars and had no idea how to live with other dogs. dog
I knew re-homing them would take some time, but I was prepared to give them a chance.
But worried Picasso’s facial deformity was causing him pain, I called the vet.
‘It’s just a birth defect,’ the vet confirmed.
‘He’s not in any discomfort.’ ‘Thank God for that,’ I said, breathing a sigh of relief.
The vet just had to remove a tooth that was hitting the bottom of his mouth, due to his overbite.
Once that was removed, he was completely pain-free.
He could do everything a normal dog could, Picasso’s only downside being a bit of a messy eater!
Relieved to know he was well, we got to work training them both.
As the pair of them slowly began to trust us, I could see Picasso loved to learn.
While Pablo was happier having his belly rubbed, I felt like they both had the potential to make great therapy dogs.
And the more time I spent with them, the quicker they realised they were safe.
Picasso went from shy and nervous to completely trusting and affectionate.
It was wonderful to see them blossom. blossom
I started sharing their story online and Picasso soon soon went viral!
His facial deformity had really touched people, and followers from across the world became interested in his unique looks.
With over 200,000 followers on Instagram and counting, I decided to move the boys into my home and out of the shelter until I found them a permanent place to live.
After all, I already had nine dogs, what was a couple more?
But as I walked them both in the woods one morning, Pablo ran off in a different direction.
As we went back to look for him, we found Pablo lying on the floor.
Sadly, he had died from a massive brain aneurysm.
We were both heartbroken and Picasso was lost without his brother.
It was then that I decided he’d found his forever home and was going to stay with me for good.
‘You’ll always have a home here,’ I told him.
He soon settled in with my pack of dogs and even took to a pet pig I’d rescued named Pax.
Walking through the woods, Picasso and Pax run alongside each other on their leads. ‘Look at you two,’ I coo. They are adorable together and although it might seem like an unlikely friendship, they are the cutest couple.
I believe Picasso will make a great therapy dog one day and we’re still training him.
His unique looks may have been the reason he was abandoned, but to me his wonky face makes him all the more lovable.
My Picasso is perfect to me!
Picasso found his forever home!