Wonky faced dog finds forever home and becomes hero of children’s book

By Leo Black via SWNS

An adorable wonky-faced rescue dog has found a forever home - and will soon become the hero of a children's book.

Alan, a boxer-saluki mix, suffers from the facial deformity wry mouth, which deviates his upper jaw to one side.

The pooch, who is now three, started his life in a building site in Doha, Qatar, alongside his parents and five of his siblings.

They were being looked after by a local security guard, but their future became uncertain after the guard was told he could no longer allow the dogs to stay on site.

Johanna Handley, an author originally from Goldaming, Surrey, England was living in Doha at the time and decided to take the dogs in.

Johanna, who already had five other rescues, decided to keep Alan because she feared no one would adopt him.

Her sister adopted one of Alan's siblings, and the others were sent to America, via the National Greyhound Adoption Program (NGAP) charity.

Alan now lives comfortably on Île de Ré, an island off the west coast of France, with Johanna, 43, her husband, Dan Strutt, 43, their daughter Darcy, 10, and five other rescues.

He is completely healthy and lives a normal life.

Johanna said: "It [wry mouth] doesn't affect him at all. He eats just fine, breathes just fine, sleeps just fine. I was worried that it would initially, but he's just wonky.

"He's a completely lovely dog, really sweet, very calm and chill. He loves to run on the beach and he's a total thief. He'd steal food out of your mouth.

"I actually think of him a bit like a therapy dog. He's so sweet, just being around him makes you a bit happier.

"He gets on with the other dogs mostly as welll. The two male dogs can get annoyed, but they love him too."

Alan's wonky appearance and charming personality have also become the inspiration for Johanna's new children's book "Alan the wonky dog."

"The book is about a little girl who finds some stray dogs in the desert, she instantly bonds with Alan who is very wonky but very sweet.

"I want the story to show that you don't have to be perfect to be loved."

Johanna has finished writing the book and is currently looking for a publisher.