In August 2017, a 1 year old border collie named Kong was taken in by the Border Collie Rescue & Rehab after having previously staying in an animal shelter in Oklahoma. The poor dog had been suffering from a skin disease that caused pain and fur loss. In addition, Kong also had sunburn on his exposed skin, causing it to turn pink due to sensitivity

Kong was initially a shy dog when he first arrived at the rescue but thanks to the efforts of the staff at the rescue, Kong began to warm up to people and enjoyed receiving affection. Kong also recovered from his skin condition, with his fur grown back. As Kong was now healthy enough to be adopted, the rescue posted an adoption profile of Kong on their Facebook page.

This post soon caught the attention of a man named Craig Hartsell, who immediately fell in love with Kong. Hartsell had already read Kong’s description on the Facebook post so he decided to contact Kong’s foster mom for more information on his personality and temperament. After learning of Kong’s personality, Hartsell knew that Kong was the perfect dog for him.