The Border Collie, now four years old, was neglected during his childhood. The adolescent canine, then known as Kong, was lying in a shelter in Claremore, Oklahoma, suffering from a painful skin ailment and sunburn so severe that he couldn’t be handled.
Kong was welcomed and rehabilitated by Border Collie Rescue and Rehab in Prosper, Texas, and became known as # 387 on the Rescue web page.
Curtis Hartsell, on the other hand, didn’t need a name to fall in love with the little white puppy with the wide smile and the questioning eyes.
“I reviewed her profile and fell in love with her distinctive photo and the explanation they put on the page right away,” Hartsell told The Dodo.
“Her adoptive mother explained her temper and personality, and I told her about my past, and she thought we were suited for each other.”
Hartsell’s application was granted after multiple interviews and a house visit, and the two eventually met for the first time.
Hartsell came at ZIB’s foster home, and a neighbor captured a photo of the moment the lost puppy was successfully recovered.
“He has truly saved me, and there is nothing I would not do for him,” he stated. “Our lives now revolve around one another, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”