Brodie, a German shepherd-border collie mix, has become something of a star. If you browse his Instagram page, you’ll even see his stardom has reached the point where’s he’s now the object of fan art.
What makes Brodie so special?
There are those that say facial symmetry is the mark of beauty. That our brains process balanced, symmetrical faces as pleasing. And wonky, unbalanced faces? Well, not so much.
However, there is another school of thought. The one that says beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Brodie’s owners fall firmly in the second category. As far as they are concerned, their good boy is a perfect good boy.
What Happened to Brodie’s Face?
When Brodie was just 13 days old, his mother bit him in the face and badly injured him.
In an interview with CBC Kids News, his new owner, Amanda Richter, shares that the reason was likely due to a chance and random instance of food aggression. She says,
“He might have gotten a bit too close to her food dish and just got a chomp on the head.”
Brodie and his mom didn’t have a real home when this happened. They were living in a dog shelter in Ponoka County, Alta.
At the time of the bite a vet looked at the wound and judged that despite losing a lot of blood, the puppy would likely be okay. It wasn’t until he got older that the shelter realized things really weren’t okay.
In a separate interview with CBC News Calgary, Brad Ames, Richter’s partner, said,
“As he got older, all these deformities started to show. That bulging eye. His skull is kind of pushing out on his eye. He has troubles breathing. He is partially blind in the little eye that actually looks OK.”
Brodie’s skull had been crushed by the bite. And along with the issues mentioned by Ames, his jaw is also partially fused.
Brodie Finds a Forever Home
Richter, who made a habit of checking the local Facebook pages for rescue dogs, saw Brodie’s adoption photos.
“There was just something about him,” she shared. “He was the first dog I saw that I said to Brad, ‘We just have to meet him.’”
And thankfully for Brodie, that’s exactly what they did. And although Brodie’s adoption post was getting thousands of likes, Richter and Ames were the first to visit him. And, of course, adopt him.
The three of them have formed a connection.
“He actually has the best temperament. He is very hyper and energetic, but he is so sweet and loving. He is always happy,” Richter said.
As many people do, Richter set up an Instagram page for her pet @bestboybrodie. His profile reads, “Just a spunky 1 year old partially blind rescue pup who looks a bit like a Picasso masterpiece! 🥴 Recently adopted and so very loved!”
Brodie now has close to 88k followers. As mentioned above, he has become a star. Newspaper’s from around the world have contacted Richter and Ames for interviews.
More importantly, Brodie has become a beacon of hope for some. According to Ames,
“There are a lot of people messaging, going through depression or they have physical disabilities and they see Brodie and it just brightens their day. They look forward to it. It brings them hope.”
Despite all of that, to Richter and Ames, he is just their beloved pet.
“He’s perfect to us. He is beautiful. A dog’s love is so unconditional.”
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