Have you ever been to an animal shelter? Although not all of us have pets, there has been a strong push in the last few years to adopt pets rather than shop. If you’ve ever paid a visit to one of these shelters, it’s not hard to see why. While what each person is looking for will widely vary, sometimes we’re looking for an animal that stands out from the crowd.
That was the case for one little dog named Cheech at Waller Animal Shelter and Rescue in Texas.
Cheech was a small, mixed-breed dog who staff noticed had an unusual quirk about him.
Unlike some of the other dogs, Cheech has a very signature smile that looks almost like a human smile! According to shelter director Leah Stipe, employees weren’t sure what to make of the little guy at first:
“The smiling scared a couple of the volunteers as they mistook it for snarling, and they were mortified when I stuck my hand in his cage on the day we got him in.”
Eventually, the staff realized that Cheech was only grinning and showing off his teeth.
After they found this out, they decided to create a Facebook post advertising the little guy and explaining the situation which went viral:
“Y’all… this smiling dog we got in at the shelter yesterday is ridiculous! #ICantEven
UPDATE- I’ve received a lot of messages requesting more information: We are a 100% donation and volunteer based animal shelter & rescue located at 728 Elm Street in Waller, TX. The shelter is our old jail and we are currently renovating it, so it is NOT open to the public until our Grand Opening on November 12th 2017.
This shelter was founded by first responders and residents in the city, we are the first and ONLY animal shelter in our entire county. Animals at the city pound were only kept for 72hrs before euthanizing, with the shelter we are now able to take them from the pound and adopt them out to good families. We have spent the last 4 months working tirelessly and understaffed to make this shelter great.
Cheech has MANY applications turned in, however we have tons of great homeless pups available. Check out our page to see some of the other great homeless furbabies!”
Fortunately, Cheech’s advertisements worked and he was adopted!
The little pup was adopted by a couple named Carrie and Dusty—and the shelter posted another update letting everyone know:
“UPDATE: Cheech has been ADOPTED
I reviewed the applications for Cheech, and one story stood out the most. Carrie reached out to the shelter volunteers and shared her heartbreaking loss with us, she lost her beloved Shepherd to cancer on Friday- since then her other dog (Dusty) pictured here, has been severely depressed and had not eaten in days.
Carrie and Dusty visited Cheech today, and Cheech wanted nothing but to cuddle with her and Dusty. Congratulations on finding your forever home Cheech, we are very happy that you’re going to the perfect home. Cheech needs this family as much as they need him 😍 Nothing but smiles here today y’all!”
Above all, this story should remind us how important it is to consider adoption before looking elsewhere for pets.
Although Cheech’s signature smile got him a safe home, not all dogs (or other animals) have a similar calling card. Still, all are deserving of love and attention. For anyone who lives in the area, consider giving Waller Animal Animal Shelter and Rescue a call.
In the meantime, congratulations to Cheech on his new home!
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