A dog with no nose who was almost put down because nobody wanted her has finally found a home.
Bonnie, a Border Collie cross, was rescued in Romania and was on the verge of being put down due to the extent of the injuries she sustained as a stray.
The pooch was found with her snout missing, leaving a large, open wound, and part of her front left leg missing as well.
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Bonnie, a Border Collie cross who is missing its nose and part of its leg, has finally found a home
The pooch was found with her snout missing, leaving a large, open wound, and part of her front left leg missing as well
Kate Comfort, 29, from Canterbury, spotted Bonnie on Facebook and adopted her months later
Bonnie was brought over to the UK by Beacon Animal Rescue Centre where Kate Comfort, 29, from Canterbury, spotted Bonnie on their Facebook page.
It was love at first site for Kate and Bonnie was officially adopted her a few months later.
Kate, a civil servant, said: ‘We adopted Bonnie from Beacon Animal Rescue Centre which is run by my best friend Rebecca.
‘Rebecca put up a post of her with her beautiful big soulful eyes and huge ears and I just fell in love.
‘I had trouble trying to convince my husband at first – as we already had three dogs – but no one wanted Bonnie so I said that I would foster her until we could find her the perfect home.
Bonnie was rescued in Romania and was on the verge of being put down due to the extent of the injuries she sustained as a stray
Bonnie the sweet dog with no nose has finally found a forever home
‘The fact no one wanted her made me want her more, she was vulnerable and needed love.
‘It turned out that her perfect home was our home and we ended up adopting Bonnie ourselves!’
Kate admits she was alarmed by Bonnie’s appearance at first but grew used to it the more time she spent with the dog.
Kate and her husband, Ross, 31, wanted to gain experience of taking care of dogs with unique needs but ended up falling in love with Bonnie and couldn’t give her up.
Upon the decision to adopt her, they began fundraising for Bonnie to get a prosthetic leg, but the wound on her stump kept opening up.
They were advised to remove it and wished they had done it sooner; Bonnie is now completely pain-free and as agile as the couple’s other dogs.
Kate admits she was alarmed by Bonnie’s appearance at first but grew used to it the more time she spent with the dog
Kate and her husband, Ross, 31, wanted to gain experience of taking care of dogs with unique needs but ended up falling in love with Bonnie and couldn’t give her up
Kate said: ‘We thought about paying for Bonnie to have the surgery, but once we realised it would have been purely cosmetic and would have made no positive impact on her life then we decided against it.
‘We thought putting Bonnie through an operation to try to make her look more “normal” would have been cruel.
‘Our Bonnie is perfectly imperfect, we love her just how she is and if anyone is offended by how she looks, then that is their problem – not ours.’
Despite some negative comments towards Bonnie, she boasts 14,000 followers on Instagram where she goes by the name of Bonnie the Brave, with her pictures receiving thousands of likes.
Kate added: ‘I originally created an Instagram page for her when we were trying to raise money for her to have surgery but, even though the surgery never took place, her followers have grown and grown and we have been overcome by how much impact Bonnie’s life is having on people.
It’s not certain what happened to Bonnie’s face with all of her nose and front part of her mouth missing
Despite some negative comments towards Bonnie, she boasts 14,000 followers on Instagram
‘She is an advocate for unique dogs and we have had so much kindness and positivity, it’s just incredible.
‘In person, most people are amazed by her but again, we have had some negative responses.
‘There have been people who have actively shouted and screamed at Bonnie with one person even trying to kick her.
‘People have referred to her as “it” or a “thing” which hurts my feelings as she deserves the same amount of love as any other dog.
It’s not certain what happened to Bonnie’s face with all of her nose and front part of her mouth missing, but they suspect it was done by a human when she was living on the streets.
Kate said: ‘Bonnie is one of the best things to happen to us and I’m so glad we gave her the home and family she deserves’
Kate said: ‘We aren’t totally sure what happened to Bonnie, the girl and her mum who found Bonnie thought it was a train because they had seen her there previously.
‘The other suggestion is that an animal did it, perhaps a fox or a wolf or even a human but we simply do not know.
‘Despite this, Bonnie isn’t wary of people, so if it was a human, she is very forgiving.
‘But then again, animals are forgiving creatures – they never fail to amaze me with how tolerant and forgiving they are when subjected to cruelty and abuse.
‘I prefer animals to humans, I wish we were more like them, which is maybe why I surround myself with animals, rather than people.
‘Bonnie is one of the best things to happen to us and I’m so glad we gave her the home and family she deserves.’
To keep up with Bonnie’s adventures follow her at @bravebonbon on Instagram.
Can pets see ghosts?
Spooky season is in full swing, meaning there may be some heightened paranormal activity afoot. In fact, a survey conducted by YouGov revealed that two in five Americans believe ghosts are real, while one in five people say they’ve actually encountered one.
The existence of ghosts may be up for debate, but one of the most persistent beliefs is that our animals can sense spirits or paranormal activity. We’ve all witnessed the scene in scary movies or TV shows, when the tiny dog barks at the door but no one is there. Sure, the movie may be fake, but many pet owners have noticed their dog or cat do the same in real life.
Of course, there’s only one thought that enters a pet owner’s mind when this occurs – that their animal is obviously interacting with a ghost. To set the record straight, we spoke with two animal communicators – aka, pet psychics – to learn whether our animals are really channeling the other side.
Why do we believe our pets can see ghosts in the first place? According to Phoebe Hoffman, an animal communicator and intuitive guide based in New York City, it has a lot to do with their heightened senses.
“Pets are living off of energy, whether it’s our energy or energy that we are not privy to, because we’re so limited in our senses compared to them,” Hoffman tells us. “Now, can I say that what they’re seeing is ghosts? I don’t know that because I’ve never seen a ghost. I’m not seeing what they’re seeing, but I’ve had many experiences with my own animals – which happen to be cats – where they are having an absolute moment with something that’s there that only they can witness.”
It goes without saying that animals have senses that are unknown to humans. When it comes to our beloved canines, dogs have the ability to hear much higher-pitched noises than their owners. The average adult human can’t hear sounds above 20,000 Hertz (Hz), while dogs can hear sounds as high as 47,000 to 65,000 Hz, per the American Kennel Club.
Meanwhile, cats are known to have great eyesight, especially in the dark. According to Texas A&M University, felines can dilate their pupils in low-light settings and they have a special reflective layer called the tapetum lucidum, which can reflect more light to the back of the eye.
“Non-human animals sense things in different ways than humans do. Cats, for instance, the way they see things is different from the way humans see things. Their eyesight is different, they can definitely perceive energies that we can’t or things that aren’t visible to the human eye,” Olivia LaBarre, an animal communicator and Reiki specialist based in NYC, tells us. “Most of the animals I communicate with have increased senses beyond the five senses.”
But what about those undeniable moments when our dog or cat appears to be reacting – or interacting – with something we can’t see? When they begin to bark or meow at nothing visible, stand in the corner, play with an object that belonged to a deceased family member, or assume behaviours that are characteristic of a former pet? For LaBarre – who’s been an animal communicator and grief worker for five years – her clients have noticed that, after one of their pets dies, their living animal will even start taking on some of the behaviours of the animal who passed.
When these moments occur, it’s important to look out for certain signs or signals that your dog or cat’s behaviour has suddenly shifted. This can look like playing with something that isn’t there, tilting their head, arching their back, or wagging their tail.
As for what pet owners should do when they believe their beloved animal is interacting with a ghost, experts agree to just sit back and let it happen. “Allow it, observe it, and just pay attention because it might be about you. Humans are very unaware of the mysteries of the universe. Animals, they’re tapped in. They are aware that energy doesn’t die,” says Hoffman. “Just let it happen. It’s not a bad thing.”
However, there could be the slight off chance that a poltergeist from the next Paranormal Activity instalment just so happens to be living in your kitchen. Then, of course, it’s time to call in the experts… or an exorcist.
Our pets’ heightened senses – and sometimes their silly, quirky, and erratic behaviour – has played into the belief that dogs and cats can see ghosts. Still, there’s much uncertainty about whether this long-standing superstition is actually true.
“We are so limited in our ability to see what the naked eye cannot see. Animals have this window into watching spirits and energy,” says Hoffman. “But as far as a ghost? That I don’t know, but I know they’re seeing something.”
Although it continues to be a mystery whether our pets’ senses are able to pick up on energies or spirits, pay close attention to your dog or cat this spooky season. Who knows what life forms will be lurking this Halloween?
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