Meet Squish: A Perfectly Imperfect Rescue Pup

by Elana

Looking at Squish the Rescue Pup today you will see a dog that is simultaneously unlike any other and precisely like every other. He had a ruff-ruff start in life when he was severely injured and abandoned to be picked up by the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter, where he was in dire shape. After further investigation of his injuries, Squish was set to be humanely euthanized. However, fate intervened in the form of Dr. Danielle Boyd, who was working at at the hospital Squish was being evaluated at as part of her ophthalmologic veterinary internship.

Dr. Boyd, believing Squish was set to be euthanized, brought him home for a night. She felt as though this sweet pup, suffering in unimaginable pain should have a quiet night, free from cages and kennels. She recalled in an interview with The Dodo:

He watched out the window of my car as the world blurred by, wagging his tail, [and] looked as if he was smiling!

By the next morning, a new fate was sealed for Squish, and a new life was beginning.

Squish came from some harsh beginnings in life but thanks to the love of Dr. Danielle Boyd, he has recovered more than one would have imagined possible and today his crooked jaw and squishy, malformed face is a beacon of hope.

Squish

With so much reconstructive surgery having been done on Squish's jaw, his love for the tennis ball was astounding. Boyd said:

I cried seeing his excitement as he picked up a tennis ball for the first time, and that was only the beginning of his little victories.

Today, Squish loves his tennis ball... and he prefers hard food!

Squish

Squish is bursting with personality, known to also love hiking, sticks, dirty water, and most importantly: smelling flowers.

Squish

Dr. Boyd reflected on the timing of everything and it is definitely a testament to how fate intertwines special dogs like Squish with humans like Danielle. When Squish first arrived at the shelter that once tried to seal his fate, it was the same week that Danielle had lost her 14-year-old heart and soul dog and she had been grieving terribly.

Squish

Danielle now believes that she needed Squish as much as he needed her. We couldn't agree more.

Squish

At the same time, Danielle acknowledges everyone who was involved in making Squish's life today a reality:

I would not have this incredible dog without the amazing veterinarians and veterinary technicians that made it possible for him to undergo successful surgeries. I am forever grateful to all that fought for him and allowed me to be so very lucky to call him mine.

Squish

Also on Squish's to-do list? Training to be a therapy dog! Boyd says:

He loves kids and I want him to make them smile and show them how well he does with his disabilities and that it’s okay to be different.

Squish

Having overcome his harrowing ordeal and finding true love with his human companion, Danielle, Squish is "spreading happiness, one Squishy smile at a time." He spends his days in the veterinarian hospital where Dr. Boyd works. She says that not only does he show clients whose pets are facing eye removal surgery how happy he is with one eye, he is a favourite of the entire staff:

Employees come visit him in my office when they need a little Squish love.

Squish

And now that Squish's story is out there, his Squishy face is beginning to make rounds all over the Internet. Because who doesn't love a happy story with a sweet face?