OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City shelter owner took in a dog with a unique appearance, and is raising awareness about rescue dogs with special needs in the process.
Mutt Misfits Animal Rescue Society owner Heather Hernandez knew she wanted to take in the gray-brown dog named Toad, according to KFOR.
She was born with two mouths. One is where an ear should be.
"We realized immediately she was different," Hernandez told KFOR. "Obviously, the way she looks but, her personality and her bond to me and my family, it was just so immediate."
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The dog also has a misaligned face and limited vision and hearing, and her second mouth has teeth and salivates.
Hernandez has to clean the second mouth nightly, because the drool can stick to her fur.
“Her primary veterinarian thinks that maybe she absorbed a twin in utero and so that’s kind of how the deformity surfaced,” Hernandez said. “The main teeth, the ones you see primarily, they are connected to her skull, so we leave them.”
KOCO reported Hernandez wants to bring awareness to animals that have special needs, and in starting rescue, helps pets that are otherwise overlooked. Hernandez said her shelter is completely run by volunteers and has no paid staff members.
Hernandez said Toad is expected to have some complications as she gets older because of her face alignment, but she is otherwise living a normal life.
“Toad came into my life at the exact time that I needed her, and she has brought me infinite joy and happiness,” she said.
More photos of Toad can be found at her Instagram page, toadsearmouth. Information on Mutt Misfits Animal Rescue Society can be found on the organization's Facebook page.