When the Border Collie Rescue & Rehab based in Prosper, Texas first took custody of Kong in August of 2017 from a shelter in Oklahoma, the one-year-old dog was suffering from a skin disease so painful that it was impossible to touch the sweet-but-neglected pup without hurting him.

His patchy fur also revealed deep, pink sunburns on his body.

Despite being a beautiful dog, he had simply languished in the shelter for months before his rescue.

Kong was now known on the shelter’s website simply as #387 with a photo showing potential adoptees the sweet face but injured body of a dog in need of a forever home. Border Collie Rescue & Rehab helped the dog recover while they waited for someone to show interest.

Soon after, a man named Craig Hartsell saw #387’s profile and immediately knew that this was the perfect dog for him.

“I looked through his profile and just immediately fell in love with his single picture and the description they put on the page,” Hartsell told The Dodo. “His foster mom described his temperament and personality and I described my life to her a bit and she said we sounded perfect for each other.”

Hartsell is a cyber threat intelligence analyst with a credit bureau in Texas. While he worried that his lifestyle would be too active for a dog, he also knew that this adoption was bound to work out.

“I asked for daily updates through the adoption process and felt as if he were mine from the very beginning and these people were just helping us get reunited,” he said.

After passing a few interviews and a home visit, Hartsell’s adoption application was approved and he was allowed to meet the sweet dog that he later named ZIB after the famous Soviet space dog.

“I was handed his leash … I got down in front of him and gave him his new name and asked if he wanted to come home with me,” Hartsell said. “‘ZIB, I’m going to call you ZIB. Do you like that? How would you like to come home with me, ZIB?’ He was sitting in front of me, looked into my eyes and then hugged me and bowed his head. It was adorable; I’ll never forget that moment.”

A friend captured the heartwarming moment:

He told The Dodo why he felt the name ZIB was perfect for the white Border Collie:

“The original [ZIB] was just a lost dog running around base that they sent to space for successful flight,” Hartsell said. “I felt this was fitting for my ZIB because he was just a lost dog until someone picked him up and helped nurture him back to health. Now he and I are off to the stars together!”

Now the puppy who was once in constant pain and had never experienced love was with his perfect owner and the two bonded immediately, snuggling up to one another every day.

In fact, the dog that once refused to be touched now loved snuggling with his human.

“I cannot even begin to describe how much happier and fulfilled I feel. Knowing that this poor puppy was once neglected and all he wanted was to be loved — and that I get to give him that love every day now, it’s incredible.”

From the photos, it appears that if ZIB could talk, he would say something very similar.

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Source: The Dodo