Brodie the German Shepherd Border Collie cross was born in a rescue shelter but was attacked by his mom when he was only 13 days old.
She bit his head leaving him with severe cranial and facial injuries - but the resilient dog survived with a permanently slanted face.
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
The poor little pooch's jaw fused together as he grew but one side of his face got stunted which left him partially blind in one eye.
He'd been adopted as a puppy but was returned to the rescue shelter after just five months as the owner complained he was “too hyper."
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
But Amanda Richter, 30, and boyfriend Brad Ames, 23, spotted the popular pooch Brodie on a posting online but despite his unusual looks, said it was “love at first sight."
The pair traveled to the Old MacDonald Kennels in Alberta, Canada, in September last year and brought him home the very same day.
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
The shelter said they received hundreds of adoption requests for the "wonky" dog, but ultimately Richter and Ames were the perfect fit.
Amanda said she cried a few times after seeing his picture online but hopes the energetic pup can now help people with disabilities after training as a therapy dog.
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
She said:
"I looked at his photos every day and even cried a few times. We felt drawn to him for some reason. We met him, took him for a walk and hung out with him for a few hours and ended up bringing him home the same day because the rescue really felt we were a great fit."
"He's definitely hyper but he is so intelligent. His brain is perfectly fine and he learns tricks within 10 minutes usually which tells me he is a smart boy. He just needed patience and someone to be consistent. He gets better every week."
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
The brutal attack left Brodie partially blind in one eye and other complications may arise as he grows, but the couple hope this will only make their resilient pooch stronger.
They are hoping to train him as a therapy dog for disabled people while raising awareness for other dogs with disabilities.
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
Amanda said:
"There is a chance they as he gets bigger more issues can arise, but for now he is as healthy and happy as ever. It's actually funny because when we go to the dog park everyone notices how he is the happiest pup there and just wants to play and run."
"We hope to train him to be a therapy dog one day so he can help other people with disabilities. We also hope that we can raise awareness for other special needs dogs and show people that just because someone or something looks different, they can be perfectly imperfect in their own unique way."
"Dogs are resilient and he has no idea he looks different so he enjoys his life just the same as any other pup."
Amanda Richter/SWNS.COM
The only thing she knew was her dad's name Trevor Sinden—which was told to her by a social worker when she was 18.
She tried to find him but with little information she failed—until decades later when she saw the name on the 'suggested friends' feature on the social media site.
Karen Harris / SWNS
Karen, of Penryn, Cornwall, saw Trevor lived 350 miles away in Kent but scanned the profile and from his details and history realized she might be looking at her father.
The pair then chatted for weeks and met for the first time in an emotional reunion on Friday—and they both said it was like they have known each other their whole lives.
Karen, 56, said her birth parents gave her up for adoption in the early 1960s.
They were teenagers and she was born out of wedlock, which she says "wasn't the done thing in those days".
She added:
"You just don't feel as though you belong."
''Looking at your family that brought you up, you're really grateful that they brought you up but you don't have that sense of belonging."
"Now I've found completion. I've found connection and completion and I'm cherishing it."
The re-united father and daughter decided to meet in Lyme Regis, Dorset, roughly halfway between Cornwall and Kent.
When they first spotted each other, they hugged for so long that a passerby said:
"I hope you know each other."
They had a lot of catching up to do in the following days, which were spent going on walks and searching for fossils on the Jurassic Coast.
Karen Harris / SWNS
Karen was also introduced to two of her long-lost cousins and has had "an amazing time with many new memories."
Trevor, 72, added:
"It's like all of her Christmases at the same time. It's so surreal, the chances of actually meeting were so slim."
"I have looked on the internet but could never find her. It's early days but I feel we already know each other quite well."
"If it wasn't for Facebook we wouldn't have met."
Karen had known few details about her father since she approached an adoption agency at the age of 18 seeking to find her birth parents.
A social worker shared with her what details they could and Karen managed to track down her mother around ten years later, after she had had a child of her own.
Finding her father proved to be more difficult.
She knew he was an electrician from Croydon but it was not until seeing that the information on his Facebook profile matched what she had been told that she knew she had finally found him.
He responded immediately and after seven weeks of chatting every day, they decided to meet.
She added:
"Those who are adopted can understand that moment when you first see someone other than yourself in a mirror that has your cheek bones, your eyes, your chin."
''It is something that someone who isn't adopted probably can't relate to or understand, but it changes the way you look at the world."
"Now there is someone else like me, loving me for me and I cherish every moment. I'm incredibly blessed to find him now."
Little did they know that they would soon be adopting 2 more little boys.
Lena told Good Morning America about their decision to adopt Joey.
"We saw a picture of Joey and Children's Friend mentioned [it] would be a good match. He was 18 months old at the time."
Baby Joey officially joined the couple the following March and quickly settled in. The three were getting used to life as a family when Lena and KC received another call from Children's Friend.
It didn't take long for the couple to decide to take in Joey's youngest brother when they heard he needed to be placed in a foster home.
Noah was only 6 weeks old at the time. Around a month after he came to live with the Curries, they also heard about the boys' middle sibling, Logan.
Logan was supposed to be adopted by the foster family with whom he was currently living, but those adoption plans fell through at the last minute.
When KC and Lena heard that Logan also needed a home, and Children's Friend asked if they might be interested in reuniting the brothers, the didn't hesitate to say yes.
KC summed up their thought process.
"It was our gut-feeling. We were going to end up saying yes because keeping the brothers together was really important to us."
"When they're older and have questions, they'll have each other to lean on and experience that ride together."
During last month's National Adoption Day, November 23, KC and Lena officially adopted Logan and Noah.
KC described the feeling of making things official.
" It was nice to check off a box and make it true to the world. We are their family. "
Lena said that the boys call them Mama and Mommy.
"A lot of times Joey says, 'Hey, Mommy-Mama' -- he'll settle for either one."
Veronica Listerud, director of adoption and family services at Children's Friend, praised the Curries for their flexibility and willingness to bring the boys back together as part of their family.
"It's what you want to see happen. They're a wonderful family. They're flexible—they really understand the kids' needs, the importance of maintaining sibling relationships and the long-term impact of that."
The Love Makes a Family board book is available here.
Amazon
While giving a gentleman a ride to Logan Airport, the driver was surprised at what the man did when they arrived at the airport. As the man got out of the car, he turned to the driver and gave him his cat, named Tangee, along with a note that said he was moving to Florida and would be unable to take her with him.
Not sure what else to do, the driver took Tangee to Boston Animal Care and Control. From there, the elderly feline was delivered to Animal Rescue League "ARL" Boston, who were quick to commit to the task of finding her a new home in time for the holidays.
The team quickly produced a blog post to include on their website, as well as Facebook and Instagram posts.
You can see the Instagram post here:
According to the team, the lovely Tangee is 19-years-old, which is the equivalent to being a 96-year-old woman, and she shows early signs of kidney failure. Beyond that, however, she's healthy, extremely energetic, and good-spirited, especially given her age.
The ARL team wrote:
"She's extremely friendly. For a 19-year-old cat, she's very spry and has a lot of energy."
The team also said on their blog:
"Tangee has quickly become a staff favorite!"
It took no time at all for Tangee to become a favorite and win hearts all across social media, as offers poured in from everywhere to provide her a new fur-ever home.
But the home Tangee eventually received was even more perfect than the immense outpouring of love online.
Just three hours after Tangee was settled and registered at ARL Boston, a woman appeared, who loved senior animals, in search of an elderly cat to give a home to in time for the holidays. She was unaware of Tangee's story and had no idea she was internet-famous.
The woman and cat were quick friends, and it was clear that Tangee had found a home she would enjoy for the rest of her life.
ARL Boston posted an update:
"Thank you to the hundreds of caring individuals who reached out regarding this sweet girl. She has found a wonderful home not only for the holidays, but for the rest of her life."
The internet immediately celebrated and rejoiced Tangee's quick find of a new loving home, sharing how deserving the elderly cat was of kindness.
@arlboston / Instagram
@arlboston / Instagram
@arlboston / Instagram
@arlboston / Instagram
It's heartwarming to see how many people were ready to help this one elderly cat, and how committed this group of people is to animals finding fur-ever homes and not just jobs as holiday presents.
If you have a feline (or canine) friend who needs a comfy spot to lay their head, the Soft Plush Donut Pet Bed available here in two sizes and four colors.
