Crooked-Face Dog Was Marked for Death, Then Vet learns Sad Truth and Does What’s Right

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Every animal deserves a chance at life. While almost anyone you meet would agree with this statement, there are thousands of lovable potential pets who are euthanized every day at overcrowded shelters across the United States every day.

Some are considered to be “too old” for adoption, while others are pit bulls or similar breeds considered “dangerous” or “aggressive,” and still others are disabled. For whatever reason, these dogs are deemed difficult to adopt and thus gotten rid of to make space for the constant inflow of stray and abandoned dogs coming in off the streets.

But when one vet was presented with a disabled dog in her shelter that was slated for being put to sleep, she just couldn’t let this one go. Years later, she considers him the greatest gift of her life.

The dog was named Zar at the time. The vet was Dr. Danielle Boyd. Zar had come in to the shelter with a misshapen jaw and damaged eye, which when examined by a team of experts at VCA Great Lakes Veterinary Specialists in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, was shown to be the result of human cruelty. The only thing that could have caused the right of his side jaw to be so compacted and for his eye to be so damaged was the impact from a blunt object wielded by a psychotic person.

Things were bleak for Zar. Even after the dog had undergone surgeries, the vets weren’t sure he would ever be able to open his jaw normally to be able to eat. Things that ordinary dogs could do, like fetching a stick or a tennis bell, definitely seemed to be out of the question.

Danielle Boyd happened to be finishing up her internship at the clinic on her way to becoming a vet specializing in eye issues. She also happened to be grieving the loss of her former dog, which had died after 14 years of an incredible life. That’s when Zar came her way.

Knowing that Zar had been through so much already and that he was slated for euthanasia, Boyd just couldn’t stand by. As she told The Dodo, “I was enamored by this little one-eyed pup who clearly endured so much pain.” Despite everything, he just wanted to play and was clearly delighted at the attention and love she showed him. How could she let this incredible survivor just disappear?

Boyd decided to take him home, at least for one night, so that he could have a much-needed break after so many surgeries and months in cages. The way he responded to his day out melted her heart. “He watched out the window of my car as the world blurred by, wagging his tail, [and] looked as if he was smiling!” she told The Dodo.

After seeing how much love this dog needed and how much love he had inside him, Boyd christened the pup “Squish” after his off-kilter face. Since then, the two of them have never parted.

Boyd drove across the country with Squish back to Texas, where’s she from, and after some more medical care, he even managed to open his jaw enough to eat and to play. “We both loved every minute of the drive that became the beginning of our many adventures together,” she told The Dodo.

The most gratifying of all was to see Squish getting to do the things that most dogs take for granted. As Boyd said to The Dodo, “I cried seeing his excitement as he picked up a tennis ball for the first time, and that was only the beginning of his little victories.”

Now, “a pup named Squish” has become an Instagram sensation with almost 200,000 followers, helping his mom raise money for dogs with disabilities.

Just another story that shows that every dog deserves a chance no matter what.