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A Breeder Rejected This Dog Because She Looked ‘Weird,’ A Shelter Said. Now She’s Internet Famous

With almond-shaped eyes, a wolfish build and the endurance of a sled dog, Siberian huskies are described by the American Kennel Club as “graceful,” “powerful” and “dignified.”

Then there’s Jubilee, whose buggy stare has been likened to poorly executed taxidermy — the eyes a pale blue with huge black pupils, reminiscent of craft googly eyes.

“Huskies are majestic looking dogs and I don’t know why I don’t look like them,” Jubilee’s caretakers at the rescue organization Husky House wrote in a Facebook post in her voice. The 4-year-old canine ended up at the shelter in Matawan, N.J., after a breeder gave her up, saying he couldn’t sell such a “weird” creature, the caretakers explained.

“I wish I was beautiful so someone would want me to be their dog,” the post added mournfully.

That was Tuesday. Now Jubilee is Internet famous, her funny face drawing legions of admirers on social media, Reddit and news comment sections. After a long stint at Husky House without takers, she has found a forever family and become the rescue community’s latest proof that misfits can be just as lovable as model specimens.

A picture posted this weekend shows Jubilee with her new owners, who have adopted from the organization previously. Tongue out and dressed in a red bandanna, she cuts as stark a contrast as ever to the two more traditional-looking huskies on the leash to her right.

“We are so happy to see that everyone feels she is as wonderful as we always knew she was,” Husky House said in a statement to The Washington Post on Sunday.

Jubilee’s looks stem from a congenital condition that “does not affect her in any way or slow her down one bit,” the group said. But she struggled to get adopted.

Then Husky House tried a Facebook post begging for someone to love a dog who knows she’s “not pretty.” Jubilee adores people, they said. She’s a bit shy, sure, but that’s “because people mostly laugh” at her.

The post exploded with comments and shares. A picture of her garnered more than 100,000 upvotes on Reddit under the heading, “She just happens to look like bad taxidermy.”

“I would like to give that bad taxidermy some belly rubs,” one commenter responded. Another person demanded video. (Luckily, Husky House has shared a clip of its “celebrity” online). By Friday, the nonprofit was thanking people for the deluge of support and fundraising from sales of a T-shirt featuring a graphic of Jubilee and her crazy blue eyes.

The husky’s story may sound familiar to fans of Narwhal, the Missouri rescue puppy who also went viral online for his strange appearance. Narwhal has a second tail sprouting from his forehead, and he, too, became “the poster child for ‘special is awesome,’ ” as his caretakers put it. They said in the fall that they had no plans to remove the odd protuberance because it didn’t pose health risks.

Narwhal’s and Jubilee’s stories have helped bring attention to the rescue-focused operations that first showed them love. Mac’s Mission, the group that found Narwhal on the roadside, caters to “special needs” dogs that require extra medical care because of birth defects, injuries or abuse. Husky House says it takes in the “stray, abandoned and unwanted” of the tri-state area and then helps them find permanent homes.