A tiny, two-pound stray dog named Bean Sprout has caused an online stir as a pair of Ontario dog lovers search for his family in Quebec.
One of those people is Vanessa De Prophetis, a pet groomer from Niagara Falls who has millions of social media followers as “Girl With the Dogs.” She posted a video on YouTube of her clean-up of Bean Sprout, a 12-year-old pooch she was given from a pound in Quebec. The clip generated 170,000 views in less than three days.
“My first thought when I got him was that maybe he came from a puppy mill,” De Prophetis said. “But after having him for a couple of weeks, it’s pretty obvious that somebody loved him… I just thought to myself there might be somebody missing him.”
Bean Sprout first came to De Prophetis’ attention via her friend, Angela Balcom, who helps run Happy’s Place, a dog rescue in Niagara Falls that focuses on senior dogs.
“Sprout was actually found as an unclaimed stray just outside of Montreal,” Balcom said, explaining that the dog had been in a shelter in the area but had not been adopted and his time was running low.
“We were approached by a group called One Last Chance and they kind of scour shelters for dogs that are at risk of euthanasia,” Balcom said. “They reached out to us to ask if we would welcome Sprout. And the second I saw that little naked face, I said, ‘Yeah, he was coming to us.’”
That was also when she thought of De Prophetis, knowing that her friend favoured more exotic-looking dogs.
“Vanessa tends to have a deep appreciation for those slightly odd-duck little dogs,” Balcom said. “As soon as I got a look at Sprout’s face, I immediately sent her an email and said, ‘Wow, I’ve got the dog for you that you’re going to want to foster’ and got back an immediate, ‘Yes, bring me the dog.’”
De Prophetis said: “He was at risk for euthanasia because a lot of people don’t want to adopt senior dogs. So naturally I couldn’t say no.”
After bringing Bean Sprout home, De Prophetis gave him a bath and within a few days realized that he had been crate trained and might have a family out there.
“I thought if I could use my social media channel to give him a grooming, talk a little bit about him, maybe there’s a possibility we could reach his owners or somebody that recognizes him that could tell us what his story is,” De Prophetis said.
She said she and Balcom hope to find Bean Sprout’s family, but if not, maybe they can find him a permanent home.
“Your first initial thought when looking at this dog might be that he’s ugly,” De Prophetis said. “But once you get to know the animal, you don’t see what he looks like anymore. You start to love them for their personality.
“He’s so sweet. He looks at you with these, like, big eyes. He’s very friendly with everybody, and he’s relaxed. He’s chill.”
De Prophetis added that a line of people interested in Bean Sprout is beginning to form but that she and Balcom will only turn in that direction if they can’t find the dog’s owners.
“That would be the ultimate goal, if we could find his people and just reunite them,” she said. “I think obviously Sprout would be super happy.”