PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Sometimes the experiences that hurt the most can welcome in the biggest opportunity for love.
Husband and wife Mike Carroll and Dr. Ginnie Sayre are generous with their love when it comes to animals.
“We have got a small zoo, one of everything, we have a cat, a couple dogs, and a couple tortoise, a rooster and a horse,” Sayre said.
Sayre is a veterinarian at an area shelter where she knows, if she fosters or takes in a pet, it will be at the ranch to stay. Several years ago, they fell in love with a dog that had such an unusual look, it spooked people at the shelter. They named the dog Quasi Modo. The female dog had a rare disorder called “short-spine syndrome,” something only known to afflict a few dozen dogs in the whole world.
“When she sat down like this she looked like a fireplug, coming out of ground,” Carroll explained.
Quasi’s sweet nature helped launch her to a national stage. She won “The World’s Ugliest Dog” title in 2015. The couple loved Quasi so much, they hired an artist to sculpt her likeness in bronze twice right in their living room. The likeness is uncanny.
“It’s so authentic that I put that collar on her and it went in the same hole, can you believe it,” Carroll said.
Then came the most heartbreaking day in the lives of a pet owner. Quasi was getting older and losing her balance. They had to say goodbye.
“It’s like losing a member of the family,” Sayre said.
The couple realized what a big hole Quasi had left behind. The special needs animal had filled their house with excitement and love. They missed her. Then they let the love wash over them again, when they spotted a dog in Houston with the same rare syndrome, named Moe Moe.
“All of a sudden, we’re re-living old times,” Carroll said.
Sayre sat with Moe Moe on the couch and chucked, “That face. He’s trying to look at you and me at the same time.”
While they are different breeds, different genders and different litters, there is something very familiar about how Moe Moe moves.
“And he is perfect, he’s got good heart, good personality. He’s just a little odd-shaped,” Sayre said.
Their new dog Moe Moe was quickly nicknamed Quasi Moe Moe.
“Love is where love is. Okay? No explanation for it,” Carroll said.
Quasi Moe Moe makes the family feel they’ve hit the jackpot more than once.
“Sometimes when you think things only happen once in your life, it can happen again,” Sayre said.