Husky dog who was called 'ugly' for crooked smile finds family who drives 2.6K miles to adopt him

WOODINVILLE, Wash. - A funny-faced Husky named Harvey — who some people called "ugly" — was adopted last month by a Washington family who drove 2,600 miles roundtrip over six days to pick him up.

When he arrived "thin and dirty" and with a "facial deformity" at the San Diego Department of Animal Services shelter in Carlsbad, California, last September, Harvey was named after the DC Comics character Harvey Dent or "Two Face" – one of Batman’s arch nemeses. 

"He has a crooked smile," Joy Ollinger, 44, a lieutenant with the San Diego Department of Animal Services, told Fox News Digital.

"Our vets examined him and they think his facial deformity is possibly from being bitten when he was a very young puppy. He doesn’t know any different and it doesn’t bother him."

It did however seem to bother potential adopters, Ollinger said.

"People would walk by him and just not even give him a second look," Ollinger told Fox News Digital.

"I actually heard people saying he was ugly because of his facial deformity. And then the whole time he was there, no one requested to take him out for an interaction or possible adoption. Not once in the whole time."

The shelter houses about 110 dogs at a time, Ollinger said.

"We get so many people walking through, and it just made us sad because we love Harvey," Ollinger said. "We saw how much he had to offer."

Ollinger began bringing Harvey, who she estimated to be almost two years old, into her office to get to know him better.

"He's very sweet and he's quiet and he's smart," Ollinger said. "He seeks attention and he would lay by my feet. He was always very interested in everything I was doing. When I was typing, he would get his front paw up and look at the keyboard."

Ollinger created a Facebook post describing Harvey’s personality and why someone should give him a chance.

"Harvey is a quiet and mellow husky who gets along with other dogs and loves treats," she wrote in the post.

"Harvey has a facial deformity that doesn't bother him but gives him a crooked smile. I think it makes him even more endearing."

Sherry Lankston, 41, of Woodinville, Washington, was immediately smitten — and responded to the post from more than 1,000 miles away.

"I wasn’t actively looking for a new fur baby, but this guy’s sweet face has me swooning," she commented on the post.

"The first time I saw Harvey's goofy smile, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that's the cutest dog ever," Lankston told Fox News Digital.

"I joked with my husband that I had found our second dog. We’d been talking about getting a second dog for a while. River, our first dog, loves other dogs and needs a friend. So we're talking about it, but nothing ever really clicked."

After more consideration, Lankston said she knew Harvey was the one.

"I saw his goofiness and I thought ‘I found our dog,’" Lankston said. "He was so wonky and adorable."

Within three days, Lankston had packed up her kids – Harrison, 7, and Fionnlagh, 4, – and headed to Carlsbad. The drive there took more than 20 hours.

"So [Lankston] reached out to me one evening, packed her car the next day and then was off the following day," Ollinger said. 

"And then it took her, I think, three days to drive down," Ollinger added.

When the Lankstons were first introduced to Harvey, it was love at first sight, Ollinger said.

"It was so cute," Ollinger said. "He immediately took to her and her kids. Sherry brought her dog, River, all the way down too. Harvey and River just hit it off as well." 

Harvey was shy and reserved at first, Lankston said.

"He passed the first test — or we passed the first test, I guess," Lankston laughed. "The next one was bringing in our dog River. She’s a shelter dog as well and so, she's got baggage, but honestly they did great. They did a couple sniffs here and there, and then she's like, ‘OK cool.’"

Then Sherry’s husband, Robert, flew down the following day to meet Harvey — and suddenly Harvey had met the whole family. 

"Harvey just walked up to her husband and leaned against his legs," Ollinger said. "It was precious." 

The next morning, the Lankstons picked up Harvey and began the long road trip home. Ollinger said watching Harvey drive away was bittersweet.

"I would've been sad, but Sherry [Lankston] and I have become friends and we've been texting each other pretty much every day," Ollinger said.

"It's been great," Ollinger added. "She sends me photos and videos of Harvey all the time."

Lankston said that on the drive home, she learned more about how Harvey was rescued when a woman who had been monitoring Ollinger's Facebook post reached out to her.

"She explained that they were riding ATVs in the desert when they spotted Harvey and two female dogs under a bush," Lankston said.

"We were able to get him to follow us with the two girls for miles back to our car," the woman wrote to Lankston. 

"He saved the other two girl Huskies’ lives. The girls were very afraid of ATVs, but he helped them and wouldn't leave them behind. We had no leashes or anything, and [were] in the middle of nowhere and he helped them so much. He’s the only reason they were alive."

The group took them back to their camp, Lankston said, and fed them chicken hamburger patties and strawberries.

"I think they were pretty happy with their first meal," the woman, who asked to remain anonymous, wrote to Lankston.

Since he’s been home, Lankston said Harvey is thriving.

"Having him here is great," Lankston said. "He's playing with the kids, he's playing with us. It took River a day or two to really kind of settle in and realize that he's not just visiting. He is here forever."

Harvey is gradually meeting the other members of the Lankston family: four cats named Angel, Nimitz, Mak and Momo and a snail named Gary who will be released when spring arrives in Washington, Lankston said.

Ollinger said she hopes Harvey’s story will encourage people not to judge a dog by its flaws.

"Give them a chance. It's easy to fall in love with the cutest puppy or the cutest kitten, but they all need homes, so just give them all a shot," Ollinger said.

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