Shelter Dog Gives Heartwarming Smile in Effort to Get Adopted, Finds Viral Stardom Instead

A shelter dog has captured thousands of hearts — all with a smile.

The Marion County Animal Shelter in South Carolina shared a Facebook post featuring a trio of photos of 1-year-old shelter dog Billie Jean, who was looking for a home. The shots went viral quickly, leading to her swift adoption.

The Feb. 17 post about Billie Jean garnered over 10,000 likes, more than 2,500 shares, and hundreds of comments from people who wanted to adopt the pup and offer her a new home.

The animal shelter said in its post that Billie Jean was surrendered to the organization after her senior owner moved to an assisted living facility. Before being surrendered, she had lived only with her owner and had not been around other animals, which left her frightened when she moved into the animal shelter.

“During [the] dog test, Billie was afraid, very tense, shaking. It was evident Billie had never been around another dog, upon this observation Billie was removed from [the] play yard for her and other dogs safety,” the animal shelter noted.

A study from the National Library of Medicine found that “animal shelters can be stressful places for dogs to live” and “social isolation is likely one component of the environment that contributes to poor welfare.”

The animal shelter noted this and said that Billie Jean needs a “slow introduction” to other dogs as she does not know what they are and needs a home “to help her learn how to be brave.” The animal shelter also said that she needs to learn “how to be a normal 1-year-old dog,” adding, “She is too young to be this scared.”

“Billie does know love, she loves people, she’s very gentle and submissive, she smiles so big when humans come see [her]. However Billie’s world is no bigger than her kennel, being launched from a calm quiet home to [an] overcrowded shelter has stunned Billie,” the organization added.

Several people noted how sweet Billie Jean looked in her pictures, including one person who commented on the post, “Her smile breaks my heart. She looks like such a sweet baby that will be perfect in someone’s home.”

Another wrote, “She is such a gorgeous pup, and you can tell she’s a sweetheart who will give so much love in return. I hope that the right fit finds her soon, if not already.”

In an update just two days later, the shelter revealed someone had officially adopted Billie Jean — likely an animal lover who could not resist her winning smile.

The following day, Marion County Animal Shelter shared a photo of the pup happily wagging her tail with a tennis ball in her mouth, and captioned the photo, “BILLIE IS THRIVING IN HER NEW HOME!!”

While she may have gotten her happy ending, the Marion County Animal Shelter noted that it still had an overpopulation of dogs in comparison to its kennel space. It said that it had “130 dogs” in “only 80 kennels.”

“They all deserve to be noticed as much as Billie has been, they are all wonderful in their own ways!” the shelter said.

To learn more about Marion County Animal Shelter and meet their adoptable animals, visit the shelter’s website.