A puppy who was born with a crooked face that it leaves people “shocked” is now searching for her forever home with people who’re willing to “look deeper than her facial disfigurement for her heart of gold.”
The eight-month-old Labrador cross is named Bethany, and she was born with a severe facial disfigurement that makes her entire snout twist and droops to one side, exposing her teeth.
While her face might be impactful at first, she is very “happy-go-lucky” and the look doesn’t affect her health.
Bethany was vet-checked and approved to travel from Romania to the UK following her rescue. She is perfectly capable of eating, drinking, running and playing like all other dogs.
The charity Safe Rescue For Dogs, which is based in Norwich, Norfolk, where Bethany is currently being fostered now really wants to find this sweet girl a permanent home.
46-year-old Zoe Casey, a volunteer fosterer, is hopeful that whoever adopts Bethany will look past her deformity and instead see her ‘amazing’ personality.
Zoe stated, “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Bethany – she doesn’t even snore when she’s asleep.
“People have asked ‘are we sure we’re doing the right thing?’ and ‘how do we know?’ We know because she’s been vet checked and checked again at Calais and Dover at DEFRA. If she was ill, she would have been seized because that’s their job. She is absolutely fine. She is the most amazing dog. She is gentle and happy,” Zoe added.
She continued, saying, “We have been out walking her and she’s already fine off the lead. She runs around and comes back when called. She loves kids, she’s good with other dogs, she is as near to perfect temperament-wise as you are ever going to get.”
Zoe went on to say, “She is very much [like] a Labrador in her temperament. She’s happy-go-lucky and absolutely lovely. There is an attitude of people looking for the picture-perfect dog but I think people need to look a bit deeper. We hope Bethany finds a normal family who treat her like a normal dog because she is normal even if she doesn’t look it.”
“We just want a nice, run-of-the-mill family who will look after her and not see what she looks like but what she is, an amazing dog. What she looks like is irrelevant because her heart is pure gold,” Zoe concluded.
Bethany’s mother was a street dog in Romania who got pregnant before being rescued by a family who helped to care for her and her five puppies until they could be transported to the UK.
The vets in Romania believed that the puppies were part Pekingese, and those genes were what may have contributed to Bethany’s facial deformity.
Safe Rescue For Dogs, which was founded by Zoe’s sister, 43-year-old Kelly Hare, travel to Romania at least once per year in order to help care for the country’s rampant stray dog population.
One of Bethany’s siblings has already been re-homed, and the rescue is still waiting for the last two puppies of the litter to arrive in the UK.
While Zoe’s facial disfigurement is a first for the rescue, it’s nothing that the people in the rescue can’t adjust to.
Zoe said, “People do see Bethany and they’re a bit shocked by her face but when you have worked in the industry, you aren’t shocked, you just accept it. Sometimes a facial disfigurement is not as bad as a mental disfigurement when does have been treated badly. Bethany has not been treated badly. Luckily her mum was rescued before she was born so she hasn’t had a bad life. She’s not worried or scared.”
She added, “With so many dogs we have to work through how they have been treated and that’s worse. You can get over Bethany’s facial disfigurement the moment she looks up at you with her tail wagging.”
Hopefully, this little dog finds the loving home that she deserves.
