“[She] had this little smirk on her face.”
Published on March 13, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Liz Standley, a volunteer at Dallas Animal Services, was distributing treats to shelter dogs the other day when she made eye contact with someone who stopped her in her tracks. Stuck inside her kennel, a sweet-looking pup was looking at Standley with her lips curled into a smile.
“She was sitting there so patiently and had this little smirk on her face,” Standley told The Dodo.
Standley saw the dog was named Cutie — a perfect name for the adorable pup. Cutie’s smile was so infectious that Standley couldn’t help but open up her kennel and give her some love.
“She was exactly how I thought she would be based on her little smile,” Standley said. “She was so friendly. She was wagging her tail [and] crawled right in my lap.”
Standley, who posts videos of shelter dogs to encourage people to adopt them, hadn’t planned on filming any pups that day. But as soon as she met Cutie, she knew she had to tell the world about her.
After Standley shared Cutie’s video, she learned from a fellow volunteer about the dog’s heartbreaking backstory. A few weeks earlier, an unusual cold snap had struck Dallas. Cutie’s rescuers had found the stray wandering around outside, desperately looking for shelter during the freeze.
“[A]fter finding that out, I was like, ‘The fact that this dog still is excited to see people and has so much love to give and has a smile on her face just shows me how resilient pets are,’” Standley said.
Standley had her fingers crossed that Cutie would get adopted quickly but didn’t know what to expect. Just days later, Standley checked Dallas Animal Services’ adoption website and noticed Cutie’s profile was missing. Could it mean she’d gotten adopted?
As a dog shelter volunteer, Standley doesn’t always get post-adoption updates about the animals she works with, so she wasn’t sure if she’d ever learn where Cutie had ended up.
Then, something incredible happened: Cutie’s new family reached out to Standley and told her that the video of Cutie smiling was the reason they’d adopted the pup. They’d noticed that Cutie, whom they renamed Frida, looked remarkably similar to their other dog — it was fate.
“[They told me] she’s doing just great,” Standley said. “She’s integrated into the family just perfectly.”
While Frida has a forever home now, there are still so many dogs at Dallas Animal Services and other shelters around the world who are looking for families. Adopting a shelter pet or volunteering at a rescue makes a huge difference in these animals’ lives.
As for Frida, her new favorite activity is snuggling up in warm blankets. Thanks to her adopters, she’ll never be cold again.
If you’d like to support other animals like Frida, you can make a donation to Dallas Animal Services here.
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