“I began to pet him after feeling his nose on mine. I was at ease.”

Was it a case of being in the right place at the right time when Picaso rushed over to aid a girl who was experiencing an anxiety attack? Or was it just plain luck?

A Good Samaritan discovered the Plott hound mix roaming along a street in Charleston, West Virginia, last November. He took the dog to the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association and dropped him there.

The dog was given the moniker Picasso by the employees at first. However, due to a typo in the shelter’s computer system, his name was misspelled Picaso. He didn’t have a collar on, no microchip, and no one had claimed him.

Picaso was in the shelter for 19 days, waiting to be adopted.

Everyone remarked on how nice and well-behaved he was. That’s what got him a position in a local Christmas parade, where he walked with other canines looking for homes.

Picaso was walked in the event by Kim Vigneau, a shelter volunteer. “He hugged me right away when I first saw him,” Vigneau told The Dodo. “He enjoys giving hugs. He was quite charming. That night, my goal was to adopt him.”

As Vigneau and Picaso weaved their way among the hundreds of parade attendees lined the streets, he was drawn to one in particular. “We were strolling along the middle of the road,” recalled Vigneau. “A young lady sat on the curb. She appeared to be in a bad mood. Picaso took the initiative and drew me over to her right away. He rested his head against hers and supported her bodily with his face. The girl then grinned. I could tell he was assisting her by her body language.”

Abby Ellis, a 16-year-old girl, was the victim. Ellis suffers from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which affects her blood flow and can lead her to pass out. It makes her jittery at times. She suffered an anxiety attack the night of the procession. When Picaso ran over her mother, Melissa Smoot, she was attempting to assist Ellis.

Smoot told The Dodo, “Abby’s head was down on her knees, and she was tumbling forward.” “He pulled her back by getting his body underneath her. Then she began to change her mind. All I could think was that if that dog hadn’t been there, Abby would have face-planted into the earth.”

Picaso found Ellis, Ellis told The Dodo, and she recalls exactly when he did. She remarked, “I felt his nose on mine.” “I began to pet him. I was at ease. My mother inquired about his name.”

Smoot learned the dog’s name, but her priority at the time was to get her daughter home. They walked away, while Vigneau and Picaso returned to the procession. Smoot, on the other hand, couldn’t get the dog out of her head. Picaso had no doubt recalled Ellis when she returned to the shelter the next day.

Picaso rushed up to her and kissed her on the cheek. “He gave me a hug. I was definitely looking forward to it “”Says Ellis.”

Picaso was coming home with them, Smoot realized at that moment. “Abby had been requesting a puppy for nearly a year,” Smoot explained. “‘Lord, please provide me a sign that Abby is ready for a dog,’ I continued pleading. This has been dubbed a God wink. It certainly was. God smiled and fulfilled our petitions with a wink.”

Picaso was adopted by Ellis and her family on his 20th day in the shelter.

Vigneau was successful in finding Picaso a new home, but he definitely chose his family. “It was incredible.” I, too, suffer from anxiety and have experienced anxiety attacks. “I believe it’s fantastic that everyone is discussing the subject,” Vigneau remarked.

Smoot believes they did not meet Picaso by coincidence. Ellis isn’t fond of crowds. That night, though, she insisted on attending the procession.

Smoot said, “It was meant to be.”

Ellis is overjoyed to have found a dog who not only loves her but also appears to recognize when she requires assistance.

“I’m just grateful he selected me,” she expressed her gratitude.