It seems George Clooney and his wife, Amal, have developed a soft spot for rescue pups.
Two months after the power couple rescued a dog that was found begging for scraps outside a restaurant, they secretly adopted a second with an even sadder past.
Nate, a terrier born with physical deformities, was rescued along with 21 other dogs from a hoarder's home in Ohio.
"A barrel chest, a leg that swayed. He walked like a hyena," LuvFurMutts Animal Rescue said on their Facebook page. "When we took Nate to adoption events, people would stare and kids would point. Several people applied to adopt him but then said no when they met him."
The shelter said the lowest point came when an adopter cried when she met him and told staff she would be "depressed the rest of her life if she had to look at him every day."
Carol Roberts, who runs LuvFurMutts, thought all hope was lost for Nate. Then she got a call from a woman calling herself "Angel," who told her she was Clooney's personal assistant. "I'm calling for George Clooney from George's house in England," she said.
The couple had seen photos and YouTube videos of Nate online and, after reading the lovable pup's profile, decided the pooch would make the perfect Christmas present for George Clooney's parents, Nick and Nina, whose pet terrier had recently died.
Clooney arranged to surprise his parents by having Roberts deliver Nate to their home in Kentucky on Christmas Eve, WDRB News reported.
And, according to LuvFurMutts, the introductions were emotional.
Clooney's mom Nina reportedly cried when she opened the door and held Nate for the first time -- and again after reading a personal card from George and Amal.
Along with the adoption, Clooneys made a donation to LuvFurMutts which "covered more than Nate's previous surgery expenses," according to a post on the shelter's website.
"They had no idea of those previous surgeries," the shelter said of the couple. "What a gift!"
So as not to "infringe on the Clooneys' holidays," LuvFurMutts opted to wait a month before publicly thanking the actor and his family for adopting the poor shelter pup, which the shelter described as "a perfect Hollywood movie ending."
And the Clooney's parents seem to be just as grateful.
"To say we were startled is an understatement," his father told WCPO.
"It's a wonderful way to find a certain part of your life completed in a way that cannot be touched in any other fashion."
Also on HuffPost:
