Brooke Landon tells PEOPLE her rescue dog Sage was expected to grow into her ears — but nearly two years later, they’re still stealing the show

At first, it felt like a promise: those oversized ears would even out with time. But as the months passed, Sage just kept growing into everything, except them.

When Brooke Landon shared a TikTok showing her dog as a tiny puppy alongside clips of her at nearly 2 years old, the message was simple and instantly relatable. “Everyone said Sage would grow into her ears. So we waited…and waited…here she is nearly 2 years later ears and all.”

“I’d love to tell you about my favorite thing in my world… Sage is a rescue,” Brooke tells PEOPLE, making it clear that behind the lighthearted video is a much deeper story.

At the time Sage was saved, she had only three days left to live before being rescued, a reality that still shapes how Brooke sees her today.

“Thankfully, Sage and her siblings were saved by Sparks Rescue,” she says, noting that one of the puppies didn’t survive after getting sick in the Santa Barbara shelter.

Brooke first met Sage through a friend who was fostering the litter, a visit that quickly turned into something she hadn’t planned. “I went over to my friend’s house, and it was love at first sight,” she recalls, adding that she had no intention of adopting a dog at the time, but “it was meant to be.”

What stayed with her most wasn’t just Sage’s appearance, but the way she carried herself from the very beginning. “All the other dogs were jumping and barking, and she came over calmly, wagged her tail a couple times, sniffed my hand, and walked away happily,” Brooke says.

That calm energy continued throughout the visit, setting Sage apart in a way that felt impossible to ignore. “She spent most of my time there napping on my lap and just doing her own thing, being herself,” she adds, describing a quiet confidence that made an immediate impression.

As Sage grew, her personality remained steady, even as her signature look became more pronounced.

Her DNA results later showed she is 42% Chihuahua and 10.8% miniature schnauzer, along with a mix of several other breeds, something Brooke believes explains her distinctive ears. “A lot of people think she’s part Papillion because of the ears and how they don’t grow into them,” she says, explaining that the Chihuahua-schnauzer combination is likely behind the look.

Even now, those ears continue to surprise people, especially paired with her otherwise small frame. “She is very well behaved but does have selective hearing, which is surprising to some considering the size of her ears lol,” Brooke says.

@brookeandsage #dogsoftiktok #dogtok #dogmom #puppy ♬ original sound – Humphries Family Corgis