This little dog had the weirdest of looks, with his mouth twisted out of proportion, giving him a silly grin. All his siblings were adopted but he wasn’t, so he was finally handed over to the shelter and slated to be euthanized—but at the last moment, a miracle happened!
Picasso, one of the puppies from a litter born to a backyard breeder, was an adorable-looking dog in all respects, except his face was twisted and he looked most unusual and abnormal. In fact, he looked just like he had stepped out of a Picasso painting. His top jaw is pushed to the side, putting his nose out of alignment as well. His teeth make it hard for him to chew.
“She responded, ‘Well, as a matter of fact, I do!’ and she sent me Picasso’s shelter intake photo. He was curled in a dog bed, and looked very sad,’” Wilhardt said. When Wilhardt was confronted with Picasso, his appearance was certainly unexpected, but her emotions were stirred. “His twisted face was startling, but he had soft and gentle eyes, and for me it was love at first sight!” she further continued. When she discovered his brother Pablo was also there and got to know that he was also about to be put down, she sprang into action.
“I could not imagine leaving the brother behind to die, so I checked with Ashley, our Luvable manager, to be sure we had the space for both, and then told Shannon to pull them off the euthanasia list—Luvable would take both boys,” Wilhardt said.
Shortly afterward, Picasso’s brother Pablo suffered from a brain aneurysm and died.
“Picasso has overcome challenges that most dogs don’t ever have to, from surviving an assaulter to living on the streets,” Wilhardt added. “And he’s done it all with courage and grace.”
Picasso was also a nominee for a 2018 American Humane Hero Dog Award, and although he was not the winner, he was certainly a winner in the eyes of many.
“He really does touch people, especially those who look a little different like him,” said Wilhardt. “Whether they were born different or had an illness or accident that led them to looking different, he’s helped and inspired so many people.” Picasso has been in training to become a certified therapy dog.
Picasso is indeed one special dog. “There are so many dogs out there with amazing stories, but Picasso’s is exceptional,” Wilhardt concluded. And we couldn’t agree more.