'Unicorn dog' who was nearly euthanized for a bump on her head finally finds her forever home

Strawberry, aka the "unicorn," a 2-year-old pit bull that moved from shelter to shelter and was nearly euthanized due to a bump on her head, has finally found a loving home. Kristen Kuhlman, a mom of two in South Pasadena, California, told TODAY that she knew she would adopt Strawberry after seeing updates about her online.

However, the pit bull had a rough start in life. "Her skin was bright pink from infection, covered in mange and she had two large lumps on her head," said the La Belle Foundation, a Los Angeles-based animal rescue organization that rescued Strawberry from euthanasia, in an Instagram post in April 2022.

“This young dog has been through the wringer and back,” said the rescue organization in a social media post. “She has horrible scratches on her swollen face and goopy eyes, not to mention two giant lumps in her sweet head.” Shelters previously thought the lump on the head was a tumor and wanted to put her down, but tests showed that it was scar tissue from an old injury and not life-threatening.

When Strawberry was healed and ready for adoption, the Kuhlman family in South Pasadena "couldn’t resist" when they saw her online. "I just kept seeing her picture on the foundation's Instagram page, and she was still available. She just had such gentle eyes and you know, I had never seen a dog like her before," Kuhlman said. "She is unique and recognizable and one in a million, one of a kind."

Kuhlman continued, "I have always joked that I like the dogs that are missing an eye or like only have three legs. Those are the kind of dogs that I like to adopt. So something about Strawberry just felt like she would be a good fit for our family." When Kuhlman brought Strawberry home in September 2022, she said the dog had a "tough" time adapting to her new surroundings. "Strawberry has been through a lot in her life," she said. At first, she was nervous and "did not know what was happening" because she had moved around so much.

The family was blessed with Strawberry after recovering from the sadness of losing a dog of 15 years, reported NBC Los Angeles. “We wondered a lot about how the bump got there,” Jack Kuhlman, the twin son of the family, said. “I think that’s another reason why it took her so long to get adopted.” Kuhlman said she also noticed that Strawberry would "kind of cry" at night. "We all thought, 'Oh no, what have we gotten ourselves into,'" she said. "But, boy, she came out of her shell within a couple of weeks and she became the most affectionate dog. My family loves her."

Kuhlman noted that her kids love to play with Strawberry and that she loves a good game of fetch, and her husband likes to take naps with Strawberry on the couch. "She fits right into our family," she said. "It's been great." Instead of giving Strawberry a new name, Kuhlman said she thought the name fit the pit bull's personality because she's a "really sweet girl."

"It’s cute. It is a lot of syllables, so we sometimes call her ‘Strawbs,’” explained Kuhlman's husband, Jeff. “We found a leash that had strawberries. It all seemed to work.” Strawberry also has some fans in the neighborhood as she is quite recognizable with her unique bump on the head. “People would roll down the windows and say, ‘Hey Strawberry,’” Kuhlman explained. “She’s very loved by many people.”