Most seven-week-old puppies are nestled securely with their momma and littermates somewhere safe and warm. But seven-week-old Layla was found dashing in and out of traffic all alone, frightened and hungry.
Workers with Beaumont Animal Care in Texas scooped up the tiny pup and whisked her off to the animal shelter, which was much safer than the close calls she experienced in rush hour traffic.
The poor little girl arrived trembling with fear at the shelter, but eventually realized that she was much better off there than dodging vehicles.
The precious little pup actually broke out into the sweetest grin.
Vet tech Rachel Barron had walked up to Layla’s kennel and began speaking softly and sweetly to the nervous little girl. Layla latched on to Rachel’s kindness and reciprocated with the cutest smile!
“When I began to speak in a baby talk kind of voice she absolutely loved it. [She] began wagging her tail and then boom, the famous smile. That is when I pulled out my phone to get it on video. It was too cute not to share.”
The video said, “This dog can’t stop smiling and wants to be adopted so bad.”
As soon as Layla’s smile hit social media, she went viral. People around the world fell in love with the adorable doggie who needed a furever family.
Tons of people reached out to the shelter inquiring about Layla. Nicole Toney and her husband Matthew were scrolling through Instagram when they stumbled upon Layla’s beautiful smile. The couple already has three rescue dogs and two cats.
“I was like, ‘OMG this dog is so precious! I’m coming home with this dog tomorrow.'”
They felt an immediate connection to Layla and just had to meet her.
“I walked in and I was like, ‘Can I see the smiling dog?’ She’s so cute! She’s so tiny! She was shy at first, but you could tell she was so sweet and excited.”
Not only does Layla have the cutest grin, but she also has mesmerizing eyes.
“Her eyes are so light; it’s just so pretty.”
Layla warmed up quickly to the Toneys and because their first meeting went so well, they were approved for her adoption.
“She would immediately burrow her head in the nook of our neck. Ugh, heart melt. We were the first ones to go look at her so I took it as a sign that we should adopt her!”
They slowly introduced her to their other pets to help with the transition home, but Layla didn’t take long to adjust.
“The first night we walked in and she was like, ‘Boom, this is my new place.'”
One by one, Layla met her new four-legged siblings. They sniffed each other and Layla walked right up to her new sister Lady and bit her collar as if to say, “Hey, come play with me!”
“Lady immediately wanted to be near Layla. Lady was a mom and had just given birth when she was rescued, and so she was really drawn to Layla.”
Sadie completely ignored Layla, but now they’re best friends and do everything together. Brutus took awhile to warm up to Layla and didn’t like sharing his bed with the perky puppy at first. But eventually, they all started to get along swimmingly.
“I could just tell when we picked her up that she would fit in perfectly. It was meant to be.”
Sure, she steals Lady’s toys and harasses the cats sometimes. She even grunts and growls, which surprised the family.
“The first time she did it, we were like, ‘Was that Layla?'”
Completely content with her new home, Layla even smiles when she’s asleep, Nicole said. She’s still in her awkward puppy stage and has just mastered the stairs. But she doesn’t like it when her new Mom and Dad are gone from her.
“When we come home and let her out, she doesn’t want to go to the bathroom. She would rather wait until we sit there and play with her and pet her and kiss her. She’s so cute.”
Matthew said he can see Layla’s winning smile when he arrives home and she stretches up to see him.
“It looks like she’s just so happy that you’re home.”
Thankfully, Layla fits right into the Toney family full of rescues.
“We are suckers for cute little animals that need help. They’re so sweet; they just love unconditionally. They’re so innocent.”
Check out Layla’s beautiful, heartwarming grin and her spirited puppy behavior in the video below. She’s so darn cute!
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