Guy gặp chú chó trú ẩn với nụ cười ‘không thể nhận nuôi’ và đưa nó về nhà
“Sẽ không nói dối, lúc đầu chắc chắn sẽ làm tôi hơi hoảng sợ.”
Dustin Kelley đang kiểm tra những tại nơi trú ẩn địa phương của mình thì một con bắt gặp ánh mắt của anh. Không giống như những chú chó con khác sủa trong cũi hoặc cầu xin sự chú ý, một chú chó tha mồi vàng tên là Zeus đang ngồi trong góc lồng, treo đầu.
Kelley không muốn nhận nuôi, nhưng khi anh phát hiện ra rằng trông buồn bã đã được lên kế hoạch tử vong vào ngày hôm sau do quá đông, anh đã thay đổi ý định. Mặc dù vậy, trung tâm cứu trợ động vật không muốn Kelley đưa Zeus về nhà, giải thích rằng chú chó về cơ bản là “không thể nhận nuôi” do thói quen nhe răng.
“The shelter told me that he had ‘aggressive behaviors’ [like] the smile,” Kelley told The Dodo. “And he likely wouldn’t be a very good dog because he was untrained and antisocial. But I was drawn to the sad boy in the corner of his kennel, and I said I’d take him home and if he turned out to not be a good fit in my home at least I gave him a few weeks of life.”
After filling out the adoption paperwork, Kelley saw Zeus’ smile for the first time, and it was not what he expected.
“The shelter attendant took him out of his kennel and brought him to the lobby so we could leave,” Kelley said. “Not going to lie, it definitely freaked me out a bit at first.”
For the first few months after his adoption, Zeus was still that sad dog from the shelter, just in a new home. He didn’t smile, wag his tail or show his personality. But once he started to trust his new dad, the smile came back — this time with a whole new meaning.
“After those first three months, he started to smile all day every day, and that’s when I realized he was showing his teeth because he was excited, not because he was mad,” Kelley said. “I think once he finally realized that I wasn’t going to give up on him and that this was his home now, he really opened up … and his loving, goofy personality started to shine.”
Five years later, Zeus’ smile has become his lovable trademark.
“Everyone loves it!” Kelley said. “It usually makes strangers laugh, and they want to give him tons of affection once they see it.”
“He’s typically the highlight of the day at his vet’s office, the groomer, pet store, Starbucks, and other places we frequent,” he added. “Once they see him coming they’ll yell to their coworkers, ‘The smiling golden is back!’ And everyone will rush out to see him.”
Kelley couldn’t picture a more perfect dog and is so glad that he took a chance on Zeus — and that Zeus took a chance on him. “He’s been with me through some of the worst times in my life. And on every single bad day, his smile has made me smile,” Kelley said. “I might have adopted him, but he definitely rescued me.”