Meet Picasso – the adorable dog who was nearly euthanised because of his “twisted face” but has now been saved by a woman who takes in disabled animals.
The four-year-old pooch was born with a condition called wry mouth, which sees one side of the jaw grow more than the other, leading to a distorted look.
The medical condition can happen to a variety of other animal species as well as dogs and doesn’t cause any pain but makes it harder for pets to be adopted.
Prior to being rescued, Picasso was at a high-kill shelter in California and was scheduled to be euthanised because the shelter was so overcrowded.
Thankfully, he and his brother Pablo were both taken in by Liesl Wilhardt, 52, from Eugene, Oregon, US, who runs a dog rescue called Luvable.
“I fell in love with his wonky face and said that Luvable would take both the brothers,” Liesl, who founded her centre 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.
The rescue has also taken on several cats and their litters, and Liesl herself has adopted ten dogs and rescued a pig called Pax.
Most of the pooches come from overcrowded shelters in California where there are more animals than homes available, including Picasso.
Despite his appearance, the pup is just like every other dog and can eat, drink and bark – although he is a bit of a messy eater and can only lick the left side of his face.
Liesl said: “Thankfully, his condition is just cosmetic and he doesn’t need any kind of corrective surgery, all we had to do was remove a top canine that was digging into the bottom of his mouth, due to the misalignment.
“Otherwise, he is a very normal and happy pup.”
Sadly, Picasso’s brother Pablo later died from a brain aneurysm, leaving both Liesl and Picasso heartbroken.
The animal lover said: “Picasso went through a depression after we lost his brother but we got through it, and he’s has accomplished a lot since his rescue.
“Picasso befriended our rescued baby Pot Belly pig, Pax, and they have a close bond.
“He was also awarded the ‘Diamond Collar Hero Dog’ award by the Humane Society of the United States, earned his American Kennel Club ‘Canine Good Citizen’ certificate’ and both Picasso and Pax won the ASPCA national contest for ‘Cutest Couple!”
The adorable dog even has his own Instagram account (@picassothewonkyandwacku), where he entertains over 239,000 followers.
Liesl said: “Picasso’s really unusual face got a lot of attention when I began to post videos of him on our rescue’s Instagram.
“Nobody had ever seen a dog quite like him.”
The rescue, who lives on the land where the centre is located, spends several hours a day preparing food for the animals, feeding them and cleaning.
Many of the dogs have a variety of health conditions and need surgery or amputations, which the rescue pays for.
She has employed six people to help care for the animals full-time, all of whom regularly take the dogs out for daily hikes.
Other volunteers come throughout the week to walk the dogs, play with the pigs and socialise with the cats and kittens.
Liesl added: “Life for me at my animal shelter is just that – a life, and a lifestyle.
“It isn’t a job for me, it is how I live. There is no time off and no possibility of a vacation. It’s a crazy life, but I love it.”
For more cute animals check out the adorable cat who’s tongue is permanently hanging out his mouth!
