Changing one’s name can be a powerful thing, signifying the joining of a new family or the promise of a better life.
For ZIB, it meant all of the above.
The now 4-year-old border collie’s early life was filled with neglect. Languishing in a shelter in Claremore, Oklahoma, the young dog, then known as Kong, was suffering from a painful skin disease and a sunburn so bad that he couldn’t be touched.
Taken in by Border Collie Rescue & Rehab in Prosper, Texas, and brought back to health, Kong became known as #387 on the rescue’s website.
But Curtis Hartsell didn’t need a name to fall for the little white dog with the big smile and curious eyes.
“I looked through his profile and just immediately fell in love with his single picture and the description they put on the page,” Hartsell told The Dodo. “His foster mom described his temperament and personality and I described my life to her a bit and she said we sounded perfect for each other.”
Hartsell, a cyber threat intelligence analyst with a credit bureau based out of Little Elm, Texas, worried his active lifestyle wouldn’t fit with owning a dog — but something indescribable told him everything would work out, he said. So he submitted an application.
“I asked for daily updates through the adoption process and felt as if he were mine from the very beginning and these people were just helping us get reunited,” Hartsell added.
After several interviews and a home visit, Hartsell’s application was approved, and the day finally came for the two to meet for the very first time. To mark the fresh start, Hartsell had decided to change the dog’s name from Kong/#387 to ZIB, in honor of a famous Soviet space dog.
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