Dustin Kelley wasn’t planning to adopt a pup when he visited a local shelter, but after he met a pup named Zeus, he quickly changed his mind. Unlike the other shelter pups who were barking and begging for Dustin’s attention, Zeus sat quietly in his cage. Dustin later learned that the sullen-looking Golden Retriever only had a few hours left to live because he would get euthanized the next day. It was at that moment when Dustin decided to adopt the pup.
However, the staff members at the local shelter were hesitant to let Dustin take the pup with him. Dustin said that the staff members told him that Zeus was basically unadoptable because he constantly bares his teeth and is untrained. But Dustin didn’t want to leave that sad pup and insisted on taking a chance with Zeus.
When it was time for Dustin to take Zeus home with him, the pup ‘smiled’ at him for the first time. Dustin admitted that when he first saw the pup’s bared teeth, he was a bit scared. It took time for Dustin to gain the trust of the pup. Even months after his adoption, Zeus remained the same sad pup as he was at the shelter.
But Dustin’s effort soon paid off when Zeus started to accept him as his fur dad. When the pup realized that his fur dad wasn’t going to leave him, the pup’s personality started to shine through. Now, the pup’s ‘smile’ has a whole different meaning. Zeus would smile all day, not because he was angry but because he felt excited.
After five years, the pup’s ‘smile’ soon became his trademark and has gained him a lot of admirers. Dustin said that whenever he brings Zeus outside, whether it may be at the pet store, Starbucks, or the vet’s office, people around them would laugh at the pup’s smile and show him lots of affection. Some people even nicknamed the pup ‘the smiling golden’!
Looking back, Dustin said that adopting Zeus is one of the best decisions he has ever made. Dustin even said that he owes a lot of his happiness to Zeus because the pup’s ‘smile’ can turn even his worst day into a happy one. No doubt, Zeus feels the same way for his loving fur dad, who never gave up on him.
Credits to Dustin Kelley