# Dog may be one in a million…literally
“He had a turbulent life to start.”
Kristen speaks quietly, her eyes fixed on the small, unusual dog at her side. That dog is Peanut, and his journey from a hoarding situation to becoming a certified therapy dog has been anything but ordinary.
“He was part of a hoarding case, then was in a home, and then had a change of coming to the shelter and coming to me.”
Kristen’s voice carries the weight of years of love and care. She tells Peanut’s story for GeoBeat with a mixture of pride and emotion.
“I’m Kristen and this is Peanut’s story.”
It began with a moment of chance. Kristen was volunteering at the local animal shelter when she witnessed something that would change her life.
“I was volunteering at the shelter and I actually saw Peanut being surrendered,” she recalls. The image is still vivid in her mind. “And I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this poor dog needs help.'”
That thought turned into action. She started fostering him, planning only to provide temporary care until a permanent home could be found.
“And then I just absolutely fell in love with him.”
That was almost seven years ago. Peanut never left.
“I’ve had him for almost seven years.”
When Peanut first arrived at the shelter, he was in terrible condition. Kristen remembers the details clearly.
“He had some severe dental disease, a really bad infection. He was severely underweight. He wasn’t eating.”
The previous owner could not afford the care Peanut desperately needed. Faced with an impossible choice, they made the heartbreaking decision to surrender him to the shelter.
“The owner couldn’t afford the care, so they chose to surrender him to the shelter.”
Years passed. Kristen and Peanut built a life together. Then came an encounter she will never forget.
“We actually unknowingly met his previous owner a couple years later.”
She still gets emotional describing the moment.
“I’ll never forget. I was holding him and this gentleman walked up and Peanut just started going crazy trying to jump out of my arms.”
The dog’s reaction was unmistakable. It was a recognition that transcended time and distance.
“And I said, ‘Oh, he’s such a good dog.’ And he said, ‘Yes, he was.'”
In that instant, Kristen understood.
“And I said, ‘Were you his owner?’ And the gentleman said, ‘Yes.'”
The reunion was overwhelming for everyone present.
“And everybody just started crying and it was very emotional.”
Kristen’s voice thickens with empathy as she reflects on that moment.
“I know it can’t be easy to give up a dog, but he was so grateful that Peanut… I have chills talking about it.”
She pauses, collecting herself.
“He was so grateful that Peanut was able to be in a safe home.”
Peanut’s personality is as remarkable as his story. Kristen describes him with warmth.
“Peanut’s personality is just one of kindness. He’s very sensitive to other people’s needs.”
She offers a powerful example. When her sister lost her soul dog, a beloved companion named Rudy, Peanut knew exactly what to do.
“When we lost Rudy, Rudy was my sister’s soul dog. Peanut went right up to her and just wouldn’t leave her side when she was crying.”
That deep empathy is not something that stays within the family. It has been trained, honed, and shared with the wider community.
“He’s a certified therapy dog going on six years. So, we go to hospitals, we go to the Air Guard here and do visits.”
But Peanut does far more than simply show up. He reaches people in ways that seem almost miraculous.
“We’ve had a non-verbal stroke patient talk when he saw Peanut.”
Kristen shakes her head in wonder.
“So, the power of dogs is just absolutely amazing.”
Peanut’s early life was marked by hardship. One of his previous family members shared details with Kristen about his origins.
“One of Peanut’s previous family members had told me that before they got him that he was actually part of a hoarding case in California. He was kept in a kennel and had a sister and the sister unfortunately didn’t make it.”
The losses Peanut endured should have broken him. Instead, they shaped him into something extraordinary.
“So, he’s been through a lot, but at the end of the day rescue dogs can endure a lot.”
Peanut’s physical appearance is as singular as his spirit. Kristen laughs when she describes him.
“He’s like got a big dog face with a little dog body.”
Curiosity about his origins led them to try a DNA test. The results were astonishing.
“We did a DNA test and he’s a mix of 12 different breeds.”
Kristen lists the main ones with obvious delight.
“And the top ones are Chihuahua, weenie dog, shih tzu, Pekingese, Samoyed, and Pomeranian. So, those are kind of the top ones. There’s a little bit of chow chow in there, a little bit of cattle dog.”
But here is the funny part. People constantly guess his breed, and they are almost always wrong.
“But all the breeds people think he is, bulldog, Frenchie, corgi, pug, there’s none of that in his DNA.”
She lets out a warm laugh.
“To this day, I have never seen a dog that looks like him. He’s just super, super unique.”
His uniqueness has led to some memorable mix-ups.
“He’s honestly been mistaken for a bunny before. People thought he’s a rabbit from behind and they come around and they’re just completely shocked.”
Age is another source of confusion.
“The second question is usually, ‘Is this an old dog or a puppy? I can’t tell.'”
Kristen smiles.
“He’s 12 right now. I just always call him my forever puppy.”
Despite his age, Peanut remains remarkably patient and welcoming, especially with younger dogs who need a gentle guide.
“He’s very tolerant. We started fostering Panini via my sister’s new rescue pup Walter.”
Kristen describes how Peanut interacts with the younger generation.
“They’ll be outside playing like young dogs do and they’ll bump into him and he just kind of gives them a look like, ‘Oh, you young kids,’ and then goes back to what he’s doing.”
He seems to understand the needs of other animals instinctively.
“So, he knows when other dogs need to feel comfortable and he’s very welcoming in doing that.”
Kristen has no doubt about the depth of his understanding.
“I truly believe that he knows when others need help.”
She sums up everything in one simple, profound statement.
“He’s really one in a million.”
