A sweet dog named Picasso who was nearly euthanized after being abandoned because of his ‘twisted face’ has been given a new lease on life thanks to a kind-hearted animal lover who rescued the pup from a high-kill shelter where he would have faced certain death.
Four-year-old Picasso, who lives in Eugene, Ohio, was born with a condition called wry mouth, which causes one side of the jaw to grow more than the other, leading to a distorted look that closely resembles the pieces of art created by his namesake, Pablo Picasso.
The medical condition can happen to a variety of other animal species as well as dogs and doesn’t cause any pain – but it does make it much harder for pets to be adopted.
Prior to being rescued, Picasso was at a high-kill shelter in California and was scheduled to be euthanized because the shelter was so overcrowded.
Thankfully, he and his brother Pablo were both taken in by Liesl Wilhardt, 52, who runs a dog rescue called Luvable – where she also looks after dozens of other animals who have been abandoned, including a pot-belly pig named Pax, who has become an unlikely, yet very close, pal to Picasso.
Speaking about her decision to rescue Picasso and his brother Pablo, Liesl says it was love at first sight, and she couldn’t help but be won over by his unique face.
‘I fell in love with his wonky face and said that Luvable would take both the brothers,’ Liesl, who founded her center in 1999, told Jam Press.
‘They were both the sweetest, most loving boys and they were totally bonded to one another, and joined at the hip. I swore I would never separate them, and planned to adopt them to a home together.’
Liesl has rescued hundreds of disabled animals and now owns 55 acres of forest land where she provides the perfect home for dogs, cats, chickens and even pigs – one of whom is best friends with Picasso.
Some of the other pets include five Pit bulls named Buddha, Nenna, Piggy, Owl and Maverick, as well as a pug-chihuahua mix named Hazel.
Liesl has also rescued five pigs; Bernard who is a KuneKune, Debbie, an enormous Yorkshire pig, JackJack, a KuneKune, and Donut and Nanners, who are Yorkshire pig mixes.
