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Related: Culture Forums, Support Forums'Broken' Dog Can't Stop Smiling When He Realizes He's Being Rescued
Essentially, the only time he is not smiling is when he is asleep or eating" 💕😍BY ELIZABETH CLAIRE ALBERTS
Sanford was once described as a broken dog" but these days, he cant stop smiling.
Karen Velazquez, Sanfords foster mom, says hes the happiest dog shes ever met.
I am presently on my 52nd foster, and I can genuinely say that Ive never had anyone as jovial as him, Velazquez told The Dodo. He looks at me in a way that no other animal or human has ever looked at me, including my own pets. Essentially, the only time he is not smiling is when he is asleep or eating.
But before Velazquez took him in, Sanford needed all the help he can get. He was rescued in April by animal control after being hit by a car, which left him unable to walk. Rescuers also found a bullet wound in his right hind leg.
When the animal control officers found him, they took him to a small municipal shelter in Dallas, Texas, where he stayed for a week. The shelter was short on resources, so Sanford didnt get any medical care during that time.
When a volunteer for Dallas DogRRR, a local dog rescue group, first saw Sanford at the shelter, she knew she had to help him.
He was physically broken and when the volunteer went to see him, he didnt really make any effort to come and say hello, Kerry Anechiarico, executive director of Dallas DogRRR, told The Dodo. Its almost like he had given up, and he was just waiting for his time to come.
But the biggest change happened when Sanford first went into foster care with Velazquez.
He came to my home on May 1, just a few days after he was released from the hospital, Velazquez said. He has been all smiles ever since. I think the minute he came to my home, he realized he was in a safe place.
Sanford Sanfee to Velazquez now spends his days eating home-cooked meals, going for daily walks and playing with Velazquez and her other dogs.
At 10 years old, Sanford is considered a senior but he doesnt act his age.
Hes pretty much a normal dog for a senior of 10 years, Anechiarico said. Hes like the older gentleman that you see in a nursing home. He may be 95 years old, but he acts like hes in his 50s.
While Sanford is very happy in his foster home, everyone wants to see him find a forever home.
Hell be a great family dog, Anechiarico said. Hell get along with other dogs and all humans. He even does well with kids.
Hes the perfect companion dog that you can come home to, Anechiarico added. Hell wag his tail and greet you, and hell just keep you company for the rest of the day. Hes just a happy-go-lucky dog now.
https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/shelter-dog-smiles-after-rescue
madaboutharry
(40,212 posts)What a beautiful boy.
MuseRider
(34,111 posts)but that face! He is so cute! Arghhhh, it just hits me in the heart.
dhill926
(16,343 posts)Thanks for this...needed it today. Too much exposure to asshole humans...
Scalded Nun
(1,236 posts)samplegirl
(11,480 posts)Animals are the greatest! My cat is 18 on Halloween and there is something to be learned daily from a senior CNN pet!
Thanks for sharing this heartwarming story!
I needed it!
wendyb-NC
(3,328 posts)A new lease on life, with the foster Mom, Karen. She worked a miracle. He's a beautiful dog.
Evolve Dammit
(16,743 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)What a sweet looking doggie!
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)looks at me.
His lady died of brain cancer and I was renting a room for four years. She was 70
I didn't get the house but I got my first dog. Pickin' up poop and all.
We have a new room/place and he smiles like yours.
I must be doing something right.
BTW, he's a bed hog!
catbyte
(34,402 posts)I recently took in a cat who was bound for the Humane Society when her elderly human had to enter assisted living. She's a delight and is fitting right in with my two spoiled rescues. They're the best.
StarryNite
(9,446 posts)Duppers
(28,125 posts)All dogs deserve saving.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,492 posts)They just want a place they can call home......
Thanks for the uplifting story, Catbyte and what a sweet animal. Really needed one today with wife in hospital.....
catbyte
(34,402 posts)KY_EnviroGuy
(14,492 posts)We're hoping she'll be released to be transferred to an in-patient rehab facility very soon, and much closer to home.
Your animal videos are one of the little serene things that help keep me sane through this and our disaster called tRump.
I really appreciate your well-wishes.......
FakeNoose
(32,645 posts)KY_EnviroGuy
(14,492 posts)and to my granddaughter the artist!.......
True Dough
(17,305 posts)LOVE IT!!!!
Demovictory9
(32,457 posts)Karadeniz
(22,537 posts)To her...she's the sweetest!
raising2moredems
(639 posts)Have a stray cat residing in my garage with her (suspected) litter mates being fed for now. My hope is this and all countries realize that those who mistreat animals "graduate" to mistreating vulnerable humans. Big thanks to Karen.. she is far more Christian than those the hypo-christians who blare their "faith" at every turn.
PatrickforO
(14,577 posts)thankful my own cats have a happy home.
JDC
(10,129 posts)Still In Wisconsin
(4,450 posts)What a beautiful dog!
N_E_1 for Tennis
(9,734 posts)The best medicine.
lambchopp59
(2,809 posts)I'm nearly drawn to tears of joy looking at those pics. I've also adopted senior dogs who no one else would take, a few mangy, hairless ones that drew disparaging remarks of "God what's that" from friends, then later on were shocked what good loving care can transform an animal.
Rewards the likes of Donald Trump can never fathom.
FakeNoose
(32,645 posts)Thanks for sharing this. Rescuing pets - especially dogs - is such a rewarding experience.
I recommend it to everyone!
cilla4progress
(24,736 posts)He was on his second listing on Craigslist, living on a chain in a remote rural area. That last pic is exactly what they posted on Craigslist, so, he was loved, but neglected and unwanted - they couldn't keep him.
He's the light of our lives, always smiling, and so loyal!!!