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Red Deer pup with crooked nose finds fame on Instagram

Brodie, a Red Deer puppy, is like many other dogs, with a hyper and goofy personality.
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Contributed photo Brodie, a Red Deer pup, is popular on Instagram.

Brodie, a Red Deer puppy, is like many other dogs, with a hyper and goofy personality.

What sets him apart is his crooked snout.

Pet owners Amanda Richter and Brad Ames, of south Red Deer, adopted the pooch in September from Old MacDonald Kennels, near Ponoka.

Wednesday, Richter said when he was only 13 days old, he was bit on the face by his mom. As he got older, he suffered from facial injuries, but did not need any surgeries.

As he was growing older, the injury got twisted and pulled, which has resulted in his skull being pulled on one side and a crooked nose.

The one-year-old German shepherd-border collie-cross has one eye bulging out, and he is partially blind in his smaller eye.

Despite that, the pooch is resilient. Like many other dogs with special needs, he can do tricks, such as sitting pretty and playing dead.

“He is quite the happy dog, full of life. He’s made our life better. He is really silly and goofy, and he’s got a lot of personality,” said Richter.

She came across a Facebook post by Old MacDonald Kennels when the pup was up for adoption. Back then, the couple was looking to take on a dog.

“He was just so cute. I have a really big soft spot for animals who have had a rough time in life, I guess. And his tongue, and his face; he’s just so cute, and his personality was just radiant,” the Red Deer woman said.

That Facebook post by the kennel had received a lot of attention. People wanted to follow the dog’s journey. So the 30-year-old woman decided to start up an Instagram page for Brodie: bestboybrodie.

The Red Deer couple figured it would receive a couple hundred followers in the Red Deer area; people who knew of the dog’s story. But as of Wednesday morning, Brodie had about 57,000 followers on Instagram.

“It’s really nice, because mostly what people say is, ‘oh, he puts a smile on my face.’ Or, ‘he makes me so happy.’

“And if they’re having a bad day, they say he makes them feel better, and we really like hearing that,” said Richter.

“There’s something about him. And you look at his face. It’s hard to stay upset. He definitely brings happiness to a lot of people’s lives.”

The couple believes Brodie will make a good therapy dog someday and want to pursue that in the future.

“We know people with disabilities, or family members, and they’ve said they can relate to him and makes them really happy.”

The pet-loving couple want to spread the message of not overlooking dogs with disabilities, as they bring just as much joy as all the other dogs.

“I hope people will see that it’s worth giving them a chance. Don’t overlook them. Even if they do have a disability, they will still enjoy life.

“They don’t see themselves as different, and that’s the best part.”



mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com

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