One Of A Kind!

Picasso had a tough start in life – now he’s being trained as a therapy dog so he can help others

- Kim Abrahams

THERE are no surprises as to how this pup got his name. With his wonky eyes, crooked mouth, protruding teeth and nose that’s practically slipping off his face, he could be something straight from a Picasso painting.

And Picasso is exactly what he’s called.

Life hasn’t been easy for this 19-month old rescue dog. He has to endure looks of horror from passers-by and struggles to chew his food with that deformed jaw.

He also nearly went to doggie heaven after he and his brother, Pablo, were dumped at a so-called kill shelter in Porterville, Southern California.

Kill shelters euthanise dogs to make room for incoming animals, and because there was no interest in adopting Picasso and Pablo, the brothers were doomed to die.

Enter Liesl Wilhardt, the executive director of the nearby Luvable Dog Rescue.

“I asked one of the volunteers if she had any dogs with special needs because we could take some on,” Liesl explains. “She said, ‘Yeah, there’s a dog with a facial deformity’.”