Smile’s road hasn’t always been easy. She was born in a hoarder house in Tijuana, Mexico, and spent years without the love and attention she need. The tenacious pup was eventually rescued by No Dog Left Behind (NDLB), and she greeted her new friends at the shelter with an ear-to-ear smile.
“She made the intake team fall madly in love,” NDLB operations manager Stephanie Easley told The Dodo.
Smile was rescued from her Tijuana home together with 23 other dogs by the At-Choo Foundation in Toluca Lake, California. All of the dogs were suffering from a painful skin illness, but Smile’s was less severe. Smile’s tale reached the NDLB team in Minnesota, and they felt she belonged there as soon as they saw her images.
“We fell in love with the hope we saw in her eyes,” NDLB said on Facebook. “Smile was destined to join our rescue.”
NDLB used Mutt Mutt Engine to transport Smile from California to Minnesota. The dog was originally frightened and scared, biting at the hands of her rescuers. They moved her gently from the van to her new kennel, and she quickly warmed up to them.
“Once she was out of the van and not in a position of feeling backed into a corner, she was much better,” he said. “She curled up in a ball and laid there, just watching the volunteers work.”
Smile was isolated owing to her skin condition, but that didn’t stop the rescue team from showering her with love. In exchange, she’d give them her million-dollar smile.
“I went up to her kennel and she sat up and smiled at me,” said Easley. “It was at that very moment that she captured my heart.”
Easley instantly chose to foster Smile, providing a more comfortable environment for the expressive pup to recover while she searches for a future home.
Smile is now having the time of her life at home with Easley. The two spend the entire day together, beginning with a sweet morning wake-up call.
“The moment I open my eyes, she’s already looking at me and, of course, smiling,” he said.
Smile’s life began with tragedy, but you’d never know it from the expression on her face. Aside from her continual smile, Easley can tell Smile is truly pleased by the sight in her eyes.
“The genuine love in her eyes is what makes her the most special dog I’ve ever met,” she remarked. “They’re animated… Just simply glancing at them, you can tell what she’s thinking or feeling.”
Here’s a video of Smile’s foster mother grinning at her:
Easley enjoys her time with Smile, but she is aware that their time together is fleeting.
“We love her with absolutely everything in us, but we know we’re not the perfect fit for her,” he stated. “My hope is that she’ll receive a family that is as crazy about her as mine is, [one] that makes her smile and look at them with all the love in her eyes.”
Smile’s friends at NDLB know she’ll go to the perfect forever home once she’s fully healed because she has numerous adoption applications pending.
“We will find her the people that she’s been waiting for her whole life,” he added.
For the time being, the sweet puppy will spend her days in her wonderful foster home, cuddling up with her family and forgetting about the agony of the past.