Remember Picasso? The impossibly adorable pup born with the unique facial deformity? Thanks to donations from his fans and dear friends at Luvable Dog Rescue, he has undergone successful dental surgery to alleviate discomfort in his lower jaw from his upper teeth digging into the gums.
Don’t worry, they have no intention of changing Picasso’s “signature look”, the surgery was just to help him live pain-free! Once he has fully recovered, Picasso and his brother, Pablo can be officially put up for adoption.
It’s important to Luvable Dog Rescue that the bonded brothers be adopted together and stay in the Eugene, Oregon area. They ask that everyone who has inquired about adopting these special boys please be patient and stay tuned to their website and Facebook page where they will announce that they are ready to begin taking official applications.
Picasso and his brother Pablo were born into a litter of 5, but when their backyard breeder deemed them un-sellable, they were taken to the Porterville Animal Shelter in CA.
The 10-month-old pups were rapidly approaching their euthanasia date when Liesl Wilhardt, executive director of Luvable Dog Rescue in Eugene, Oregon stepped in.
Wilhardt caught wind of Picasso and his special visage from a volunteer at the Porterville shelter and contacted them to see if she could help. She told the Huffington Post:
“I asked her if she had any dogs with special needs, because I felt we could take some on. She said, ‘Yeah, there’s a dog with a facial deformity,’ and I fell in love with his picture.”
When she learned that both Picasso and his brother were facing euthanasia, Wilhardt agreed to adopt both of them and welcomed them into the Luvable Dog Rescue family. Once Picasso and Pablo appeared on Instagram and Facebook, they became instant viral sensations!
“Picasso is outgoing, happy, curious and loving,” Wilhardt said. “He’s so unaware of how different he is.”
Now these sweet puppies who nearly lost their lives in a kill shelter have hundreds of adoring fans just clamoring to adopt them. Wilhardt plans to re-home them as a pair. She told the Huffington Post that they have come to rely on each other for comfort and security after all they’ve been through.
And it turns out Pablo’s appearance is much more extreme than his actual “condition.” The deformity he was born with makes it appear that his nose is facing right while his lower jaw is shifted left. The abnormality does not impair his breathing and he can open and close his jaw normally.
Picasso even eats and drinks without any issue – well, he is pretty messy! Aside from a misaligned upper canine tooth that digs uncomfortably into his palate, he’s as healthy as can be. The mild dental issue is set to be surgically repaired soon.
Once that procedure is complete, Picasso and Pablo’s fans can start competing for the honor of adopting them. Wilhardt believes an active family with older children would be the perfect match for these energetic, young littermates.
As you can see from the above video, they also get along great with other dogs!