Despite being born with a crooked face that leaves people “shocked,” this puppy is now looking for someone who is willing to look beyond her disfigurement to see her heart of gold.
Bethany is a Labrador cross that is eight months old. She was born with a severe facial deformity that causes her snout to twist to one side, exposing her teeth.
The look on Bethany’s face might be distressing to some, but she is very happy and her health was not affected. After her rescue in Romania, Bethany traveled to the UK, vet-checked and approved to travel. She is just like other dogs in that she can eat, drink, run and play as well.
Bethany is currently being fostered by Safe Rescue For Dogs, which is based in Norwich, Norfolk. The organization is now looking for a forever home for this sweet girl. Zoe Casey, 46, hopes Bethany’s amazing personality will overcome her deformity when she is adopted.
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.
The mother of Bethany was a street dog in Romania that got pregnant before she and her five puppies were rescued by a family that cared for them until they could be transported to the UK.
According to the veterinarians in Romania, Bethany’s facial deformity may have been caused by the genes in the puppies, which were part Pekingese.
In order to help care for the country’s rampant stray dog population, Safe Rescue For Dogs, founded by Zoe’s sister, Kelly Hare, 43, travels to Romania at least once a year.
We are still awaiting the arrival of Bethany’s two siblings, who are one of Bethany’s siblings.
Although Zoe’s disfigurement is a first for the rescue, it is not something that the people in the rescue have difficulty adjusting 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.”
Let’s hope this sweet pup finds a loving home!
