When Meagan Hanley, the founder of A Place for Ace rescue in Massachusetts, first saw a picture of Kleo, she immediately decided they needed to get her. Kleo was on the euthanasia list at a shelter in San Antonio, Texas, and had already been adopted and then returned once. Hanley was worried she wouldn’t get adopted again in time — partially because of her unique-looking face.
Kleo has a bit of a crooked face and an underbite, so she looks different from most dogs. Hanley could tell immediately that there was something special about her, and before long, Kleo was on her way to Massachusetts, and is now settled into her foster home in Boston.
Kleo adjusted incredibly quickly to her foster family and is now loving life. After everything she’s already been through, change doesn’t really faze her, and her foster mom is continuously amazed by what an incredible dog she is.
“Kleo makes the most out of every day,” Brianne Miers, Kleo’s foster mom, told The Dodo. “She truly has a zest for life — I joke that when I open up her crate door in the morning, it’s like she’s being shot out of a cannon. She’s a ball of energy and loves to go, go, go. She’s curious about all the new sights and smells around her, and so smart.”
Miers has fostered quite a few dogs before, but none quite like Kleo. She’s constantly impressed by how adaptable she is, and in terms of Kleo’s facial differences, the enthusiastic pup barely seems to notice at all.
“She has a little snort when she gets excited, and due to her underbite, she can be a bit messy when drinking water or eating a crunchy treat,” Miers said. “Otherwise, she’s a normal happy, healthy dog! Luckily, she doesn’t know that she’s different from any other dog. I’ve seen folks give her a double take when we walk by, but she just keeps happily trotting along.”
Even though Kleo doesn’t notice that she’s any different, other people definitely do, and it’s unfortunately what might have kept her from getting adopted thus far.
“Kleo came up on transport with 20 other dogs, and they all found great families fairly quickly,” Miers said. “Unfortunately, she hasn’t received any serious interest.”
Kleo is a truly special dog, and is going to make the best addition to one very lucky family. She would do best in a family with only older kids, and is a bit too excitable to live with cats. She’s looking for a family with an active lifestyle, and would make a great running or hiking companion. She’s very smart and definitely needs to be kept entertained while she’s hanging out at home with toys, puzzles, bones or another dog to play around with.
Other than that, all Kleo is looking for is love and acceptance. It’s been hard to watch all the other dogs get adopted before Kleo, but still, her foster family knows that the right family will come along eventually.
“I think it just takes time for dogs like Kleo to find the right match,” Miers said. “She’s not what most adopters set out to find when they begin the adoption process, so it will take someone special to want her, crooked face and all. More importantly than falling in love with her looks, though, the adopter has to want a dog with her high energy level and intelligence, and have the time to give her lots of exercise and mental stimulation. We know the perfect home is out there!”
In the meantime, Kleo will continue to explore and enjoy life in her foster home, and they’re happy to continue to nurture and care for her until her forever family finally finds her.
“She’s so inspiring, I think she has the potential to touch a lot of lives,” Miers said.
