From a 'Broken' Dog To One That Can't Stop Smiling

Meet Sanford, once a “broken dog”, but nowadays, a dog that just can’t stop smiling! According to Karen Velazquez, Sanford’s foster mom, he is just the happiest dog ever! Although Sanford is her 52nd foster, she has never seen someone as cheerful and cute as him. Sanford has a smile on his face all the time except when he is sleeping or eating.

Read More: Shelter Dog Has Been Waiting For A Home For Almost Two Year

This happy dog was not always happy. After he was hit by a car, animal control officers took him in. Sanford was unable to walk. The rescuers also found a bullet wound in his right hind leg. After animal control found him, they took him to an animal shelter in Dallas, Texas. Although he stayed for a week, the dog didn’t get any medical help because the shelter didn’t have the necessary resources.

Everything changed when a volunteer for Dallas DogRRR, a local dog rescue group, saw Sanford at the shelter. After she saw the dog who was physically broken, she immediately knew he needed her help. “It’s almost like he had given up, and he was just waiting for his time to come,” said Kerry Anechiarico, executive director of Dallas DogRRR.

But the biggest change happened when Velazquez took Sanford in. He went into foster care right after he was released from the hospital. According to Velazquez, he has been all smiles ever since because he realized that he was in a safe place. Sanford, or ‘Sanfee’ to Velazquez, now eats home-cooked meals, goes on daily walks and plays with his foster mom and her other dogs. He is 10 years old but definitely doesn’t act his age.

“He’s pretty much a normal dog for a senior of 10 years,” Anechiarico said. “He’s like the older gentleman that you see in a nursing home. He may be 95 years old, but he acts like he’s in his 50s. Although Sanford is happy with Velazquez, he is still looking for a forever home. Sanford does well with humans and dogs which makes him a great companion dog. He even gets along with kids.