Changing one’s name may be a significant event, indicating the start of a new family or the prospect of a better life.
It signified everything of the above to ZIB.
The border collie, who is now four years old, had a rough start in life. The young dog, then known as Kong, was languishing at a shelter in Claremore, Oklahoma, suffering from a terrible skin illness and a sunburn so severe that he couldn’t be touched.
Kong was adopted by Border Collie Rescue & Rehab in Prosper, Texas, and rehabilitated. He was given the number 387 on the rescue’s website.
Curtis Hartsell, on the other hand, didn’t require a name to fall in love with the small white puppy with the wide smile and interested eyes.
“I glanced over his profile and fell in love with his single photo and the description they put on the website right away,” Hartsell told The Dodo. “His foster mother explained his temperament and attitude, and I told her about my background, and she thought we seemed like a wonderful match.”
Hartsell, a cyber threat intelligence analyst at a credit bureau in Little Elm, Texas, was concerned that his active lifestyle wouldn’t be compatible with adopting a dog, but he claimed something intangible told him everything would work out. As a result, he filled out an application.
“Throughout the adoption process, I requested daily updates and felt as though he was mine from the beginning, and these folks were only assisting us in reuniting,” Hartsell explained.
Hartsell’s application was granted after multiple interviews and a house inspection, and the day had finally come for the two to meet for the first time. To commemorate the new beginning, Hartsell changed the dog’s name from Kong 387 to ZIB, after a renowned Soviet space dog.
“The original was essentially a wayward puppy wandering around base,” Hartsell recounted, “that they sent to space for successful flight.” “I thought this was appropriate for my ZIB because he was a stray dog until he was found and nursed back to health.” Now he and I are both heading to the heavens!”
Hartsell came at ZIB’s foster home, and a friend was able to photograph the emotional moment when the small missing dog was finally recovered.
“I was given his leash… “I knelt in front of him and told him his new name and asked if he wanted to come home with me,” Hartsell said. “ZIB Do you think so? ‘Would you want to accompany me home, ZIB?’ He sat in front of me, looked me in the eyes, hugged me, and lowered his head. It was lovely, and I’ll never forget it.”
ZIB is overjoyed at his new home with his adoring father. The puppy who couldn’t handle being pet because he was in so much agony before now can’t get enough love and touches.
Despite his initial concerns, having ZIB around has vastly improved Hartsell’s life, and the boundaries between who rescued whom have since blurred. “It’s difficult to put into words how much happier and pleased I am,” Hartsell added. “It’s great knowing that this poor dog was formerly abandoned and all he needed was to be loved — and that I get to offer him that love every day now.”
“He has actually saved me, and there is nothing I would not do for him,” he stated. “I wouldn’t have it any other way now that our lives revolve around each other.”
Source: Curtis Hartsell
