Left With A Wonky Face After Being Badly Abused, He Ached For Love & Acceptance
A deformed rescue dog who spent months being rejected because his underbite, wonky nose and out-turned feet left him looking like an ‘evil Minion’ has finally found his forever home.
But the little dog struggled to be placed thanks to his crooked looks and wobbly legs – staying in a temporary foster home for eight months.
After several posts advertising Pepo got no interest, the charity wrote a status from ‘Pepo’s’ point of view – begging for the ‘nicest peeples in the world’ to adopt him.
The post was liked, shared and commented on more than 27,000 times and proved so popular that the charity received more than a 1,000 applications to rehome the Brittany.
But the wonky dog finally found his forever home when Jo Strachan was selected to be his new owner – with the mother-of-two claiming it was ‘meant to be’.
Pepo (pictured) suffered abuse as a puppy in Spain, and was rescued by the dog charity Animal Angels Global, who brought him to the UK to be rehomed
Pepo, a two-year-old rescue dog from Spain, found a loving family at last in Devon after months of being overlooked by potential homes due to his wonky teeth and crooked legs (pictured)
Jo Strachan (pictured with Pepo), 47, from Tiverton, Devon, was tagged by her sister in a post adveritising for Pepo, and decided to file an application with the charity
Jo, from Tiverton, Devon, said: ‘I think it was just meant to be. He landed in my lap. ‘
‘It’s really weird, because obviously the first time they advertised him they didn’t get anybody. I think it’s the way they spoke for him in his post, it really touched everyone’s heart.
‘It was more him talking than everyone else talking. My sister tagged me in the post and I joked, “I’d have him”.
‘I read a little bit more and it said you need to fill in this application, so I was stumbling along with it.
‘My sister is so overwhelmed that I got him. Having gone from “look at this” on the internet to him ending up coming here, it’s surreal.
‘I’ve never been picked as being the right one for anything in particular, so to be trusted and given the opportunity to look after him is a big thing.’
Pepo, who is thought to be two-years-old, is believed to have been a street dog and suffered violent abuse as a young puppy – with scans and X-rays revealing evidence of fractures and broken bones.
In a status written online, ‘Pepo’ wrote: ‘I have been looking for a new family for a long time now and I’m wondering if nobody wants me because of my teeth.
Pepo (pictured) looks different because of his underbite and wonky teeth. His paws are also facing outwards
Pepo, who is thought to be two-years-old, is believed to have been a street dog and suffered violent abuse as a young puppy – with scans and X-rays revealing evidence of fractures and broken bones, which has left his feet turned out
‘When I was helped by nice people at Breton Spaniel Rescue, they said I would find a new family because I am so handsome.
‘I’m not sure if they were telling the truth because nobody is asking to adopt me and [are] going for the Spaniels with normal teeth.
‘I also have wobbly legs but I can run fast – sometimes I don’t stop and I bang my head which I find very funny.
‘The vet said that I don’t need any nasty operations for my teeth and legs, I am just a bit wobbly.
The rescue explained potential owners picked other dogs over Pepo because of his wonky smile (pictured)
Breton Spaniel Rescue shared a picture of the pooch online with a message ‘written’ by Pepo (pictured)
‘I love dogs and I don’t mind cats. I love children and I come back when I’m called, and I love living in England with all the mud.
I just wondered if I’m ever going to find my own family – I really want that and will try very hard to be a good boy all the time. Would anybody love me and make me a part of their family?’
Jo claims her pooch runs like a ‘newborn lamb or foal’ thanks to carpal valgus on his front legs which stops him coordinating his feet properly.
Jo and her husband Glen Strachan, 49, had been seeking another dog to keep their pet Bob, eight, company after his companion sadly passed away in November.
The pup is now enjoying better days at home with dog pal Bob (pictured), and owners Jo and Glen
So when the 47-year-old saw that Pepo would thrive with other canines in the house, she jumped at the chance to provide a forever home for him.
Despite his violent past, Jo claims the lovable mutt is ‘loving and grateful’ for everything, even snuggling up to her within hours of picking him up earlier this month on Sunday March 15.
Jo, who is an administrator, said: ‘When you are reading about him, nothing would prepare you for what we met.
Jo said Pepo (pictured) was ‘the most beautiful dog’ and revealed he slept with her when she was on the sofa
‘He is the most beautiful dog, the dog that just wants to be so friendly with everybody, but the dog that has also had the biggest, toughest most awful time as a little thing. He’s so fragile.
‘He’ll sleep with me on the sofa but when we get off, he can’t jump down himself. When he gets off the sofa I have to hold him steady for 10 or 20 seconds so he can stand up and find his feet.
‘He really is just one of these animals where you think, how can he have been so mistreated and still want human company and trust? It’s just amazing.
‘He’s a funny looking little chap and perhaps he was a bit of a target over there. His face has an abnormality possibly. The bottom jaw is quite short.
‘I think his nose has been bopped about but his jawline and his teeth, he could have been born like that. We’re not sure.
Jo admitted she sometimes had to help Pepo (pictured) to stand up, as he could not do it on his own
‘He’s as comfortable as he can be. It’s just about giving him as good a life as he can have. I don’t know how long he will have – I’m sure it will be, I would hope, a good while.
‘He’s coming out of himself. He started barking, and he gets on well with Bob, my Spaniel. I think he’s a little bit deaf but I’m not sure if that’s selective.
‘He’s really starting to get a pace on [when he runs]. My husband said, ‘I think it’s alright, I think we can catch him’. But actually, in his wonky donkey way, he can get quite a pace on.
‘He’s very grateful, very loving. There’s no nastiness and no bites. You’d think a dog would have some sort of bite but nothing. Nothing at all.
‘I don’t understand how he can be so loving. All he wants is a cuddle and a gravy bone. That’s it, he wants nothing else.’
Anna Reed, director of operations at Animal Angels Global, said: ‘We love all our dogs but Pepo has a special place in our hearts. We call him our wonky donkey. Everyone has worked really, really hard for him.
‘You always wonder with a dog who has spent quite a lot of time in a foster home how quickly it will be for them to adapt, but I think he adapted the moment he got into the car.
‘He’s having a great time. I think they know when they’re ready for their forever home.
‘The foster home is absolutely marvellous and one of our best foster homes, but they know when it’s home. Pepo has finally found that with his new brother Bob.
‘We don’t know much about his past life. We know he was a street dog on the east coast of Spain, and he was found begging for food.
Jo said she didn’t ‘understand how he can be so loving. All he wants is a cuddle and a gravy bone. That’s it, he wants nothing else’
‘We found that people had tried to remove him from where he was and they took away his food. A local lady took him to get him away from that situation and contacted us.
‘We said we would take him on straight away. He went to a foster home in England. That’s where he was for six months.
‘With his deformities, it’s much harder to rehome them in Spain.
‘To even home a “normal” Breton without any problems is difficult enough, but to rehome one that has medical problems is so much more difficult, hence why we decided to take him on.’
