“She was quiet and just watched everybody as they walked by …”
Earlier this year, animal control officers found a 4-year-old dog named Ginger wandering the streets of Eastford, Connecticut. They’d never seen a pup quite like her before — atop her head sat just one ear.
Animal control got in contact with Ginger’s owners, assuming they’d be thrilled to hear their dog was safe. Instead, Ginger’s family said they didn’t want her anymore. They said she “escaped too often” and it was too much to deal with.
As soon as PawSafe Animal Rescue learned about Ginger’s story, they knew they had to take her in. While they were amazed by her one-of-a-kind appearance, what really blew them away was her sweet personality.
“She was just a fantastic, cute, wonderful dog,” Diane Mangold, director of PawSafe Animal Rescue, told The Dodo. “I can’t believe her owners didn’t want her back.”
Most one-eared dogs, like the puppy below who was rescued in 2018, have two ear canals. But the PawSafe Animal Rescue team learned that in addition to Ginger missing the external part of her second ear, she also had just one ear canal.
Ginger’s unique quirk didn’t seem to affect her hearing in any way. All it really did was make her that much more adorable.
“Closest thing to a real life unicorn,” one commenter wrote below PawSafe Animal Rescue’s Facebook post.
Because Ginger was so special, everyone at PawSafe Animal Rescue assumed she’d get adopted quickly. After they posted a photo of her on their social media pages, dozens of people expressed interest in taking her home. But the day of their adoption event, Ginger was left heartbroken.
“Tons of people responded that they were coming, and then no one showed,” Mangold said. “She was quiet and just watched everybody as they walked by her that day and didn’t pick her.”
The rescue’s staff members were distraught. All they wanted was for Ginger to find a perfect home. Thankfully, soon after they updated their followers about how no one had ended up taking Ginger home, a young couple came into the shelter to adopt her — and Ginger was overjoyed.
“She was bouncing around the adoption room while they were filling out all the paperwork, all happy to be out, ready to go out the front door,” Mangold said.
After being rejected by her previous owners, Ginger is getting a second chance at life, this time with a family who appreciates and celebrates her for who she is.