Dog with ‘Unadoptable’ Smile Finally Finds Forever Home

• When Dustin Kelley came upon a sad-looking golden retriever named Zeus, the shelter told him he was “unadoptable” due to his aggressive behavior, such as baring his teeth when he smiled.
• But Dustin decided to take a chance on Zeus, and after a few months, they became the best companions.
• Zeus’ infamous smile is now beloved by everyone!

Zeus the golden retriever was deemed unadoptable by the shelter he was in because of his aggressive-looking habit of baring his teeth when he smiled.

But he caught Dustin Kelley’s eye when he was visiting the shelter. To him, Zeus looked sad as he hung his head in the corner of his cage.

The shelter discouraged him, however, saying that Zeus displayed aggressive behavior like baring his teeth, was antisocial, and untrained.

But when Dustin found out that Zeus was to be euthanized the next day due to shelter overcrowding, he had to take him home despite not planning to adopt.

“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,” Dustin told The Dodo.

Dustin then filled out the adoption paperwork, after which he saw Zeus’ infamous smile for the first time.

“Not going to lie, it definitely freaked me out a bit at first,” he shared.

Zeus kept his sad demeanor during his first few months at his new home. He wasn’t being playful, wagging his tail, or even smiling.

Eventually, his smile came back as he started to trust his new dad was really going to keep him.

“I realized he was showing his teeth because he was excited, not because he was mad. … he really opened up … and his loving, goofy personality started to shine,” Dustin shared.

Within five years, Zeus’ infamous smile turned into a beloved part of his goofy personality.

Dustin shared that Zeus’ smile became beloved by everyone: “It usually makes strangers laugh, and they want to give him tons of affection once they see it.” 

Zeus has even become quite the star everywhere they went, be it at the vet, the pet store, or Starbucks.

“Once they see him coming they’ll yell to their coworkers, ‘The smiling golden is back!’ And everyone will rush out to see him,” Dustin happily shared.

Dustin couldn’t be more pleased with his decision to take a chance on the “unadoptable” Zeus all those years ago.

He said, “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. I might have adopted him, but he definitely rescued me.”

Source: The Dodo