On a freezing cold, wet afternoon in eastern Kentucky, a good Samaritan noticed a stray dog that stood out from the crowd. But rather than attracting kindness from passersby, the sweet Jack Russell terrier mix had grown used to being ignored. In fact, her difference had landed her on the streets, fighting for her life.
The senior dog, which would later be named Mirabel, stood out because of a striking physical characteristic: she had no nose.
The good Samaritan, however, only noticed a lonely, struggling pup with a facial deformity. Recognizing that Mirabel needed help, they called the Pulaski County Animal Shelter. The shelter agreed to collect her.
Vets estimated the little dog’s age to be about 8 or 9 years old. They looked closely at Mirabel’s deformity and surmised that her missing nose and upper lip was no accident; it was simply a congenital abnormality.
The vets then drew an alarming conclusion about Mirabel’s backstory. It was likely, they thought, that she had either escaped or been turfed out of a puppy mill, having exhausted her usefulness after giving birth to several litters of puppies. The good-natured dog was riddled with painful mammary tumors, a hernia, a heart murmur, a serious flea infestation, and dental issues.
Mirabel’s heartbreaking story spread quickly. Sympathetic donations poured in, surpassing $6,000 in no time; way more than was needed for Mirabel’s lifesaving medical procedures. The additional funds were gratefully received and went toward helping other dogs in desperate need.
Little Mirabel, against the odds, made an extraordinary recovery. “If Mirabel could talk,” the shelter shared, “we’re sure she would have a lot to tell us about her will to live.” However, despite the pup’s iron will, nobody came forward to adopt her.
That was until she caught the attention of a huge-hearted counselor from Toledo, Ohio, named Kelli Shook. Kelli and her family, well versed in the fine art of not judging books by their covers, fell in love with Mirabel immediately; she was the dog for them.
While Mirabel had finally scored the perfect forever family, Shook, in turn, had scored the perfect therapy dog! “We’re starting a youth program here in our area,“ Shook explained, ”where we can teach kids empathy by using animals that are not considered to be traditionally huggable or lovable.”
Mirabel, with her unusual looks and adorable personality, was the perfect pup for the position. “She’s kind of shocking to look at at first,” Shook admitted, “but once you get to know her, and she’s just a normal dog.”
“She was a little star from the beginning.”
And believe it or not, despite an occasionally runny nose, Mirabel’s uniqueness doesn’t affect her quality of life at all. “She’s able to smell really well,” Shook reported, “and she’s very food motivated.”
This gorgeous senior pup finally got the happy ending she had so long been hoping for. Owing to her heart murmur, the Shooks have no guarantee of how long they will get to spend with the newest member of their family. However, they are all fully immersed in the here and now.
“We’re going to make the best of the second half of her life,” Shook said, with love.
