Smile hasn’t always had the easiest journey. She was born in a hoarding house in Tijuana, Mexico, where she went years without receiving the love and care she needed. The resilient pup was ultimately rescued by No Dog Left Behind (NDLB) and she greeted her new friends at the shelter with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
She “made the intake crew fall passionately in love,” Stephanie Easley, NDLB’s operations manager, told The Dodo.
At-Choo Foundation in Toluca Lake, California first removed Smile and 23 other canines from their Tijuana home. Fortunately, Smile’s skin condition wasn’t as bad as that of the other canines, who all had a terrible skin condition. When the Minnesota NDLB team heard about Smile’s tale and saw her images, they felt she belonged with them.
“We fell in love with the hope we saw in her eyes,” NDLB wrote in a Facebook post. “Smile was destined to join our rescue.”
Mutt Mutt Engine assisted NDLB in moving Smile from California to Minnesota. The dog was reportedly fearful and cautious, biting at the hands of her rescuers at first. Yet, she quickly bonded to them as they carefully brought her from the vehicle to her new kennel.
She was considerably better “after she was out of the van and not in a position of feeling backed into a corner,” Easley said. She simply lay there, curled up in a ball, and observed the volunteers at work.
Because of the state of her skin, Smile had to be confined, but the rescue team didn’t let that stop them from showing her all kinds of affection. She would then give them her radiant grin in response.
“I went up to her kennel and she sat up and smiled at me,” Easley said. “It was at that very moment that she captured my heart.”
Easley made the quick decision to foster Smile, providing the affectionate dog a more cozy location to recuperate while looking for a future home.
Now, Smile is living the best days of her life at home with Easley. The two spend all day together, starting with a loving morning wake-up.
“The moment I open my eyes, she’s already looking at me and, of course, smiling,” Easley said.
Even though Smile’s life started out sad, you’d never know it from the expression on her face. Aside from the permanent smile on her face, Easley can tell that Smile is genuinely happy by the look in her eyes.
She is the most unique dog I’ve ever met because of the sincere affection in her eyes, according to Easley. They have expressiveness. Just by glancing at them, you can instantly tell what she is thinking or feeling.
Easley is loving her time with Smile, but she knσws that their time together is only temporary.
We love her with absolutely everything in us, but we know we’re not the perfect fit for her,” Easley said. “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.”
So far, Smile has several adoption applications pending, so her friends at NDLB knσw she’ll go to the perfect forever home once she’s fully healed.
Easley promised that they would find her the folks she had been looking for her entire life.
For now, the affectionate puppy will continue enjoying her days in her incredible foster home, cuddling up with her family and forgetting all about the pain of the past.
