No one knows exactly what Heaven, a puppy who lives in Kentucky, United States, went through before being adopted, but what we know for sure is what happened to her afterward.
Her new owner, Jackie, says that when Heaven was taken to a shelter, she was very scared. It was hard to tell if she had been born on the streets or if she was part of an abandoned litter.
“The world seemed very scary to her. They wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to me. I immediately felt her tail wagging. The way she curled up against me was the moment I truly fell in love with her,” says Heaven’s new human.
One of Jackie’s biggest concerns was that Heaven had some bald patches on her body, possibly caused by stress. Additionally, Heaven had an eye condition called “cherry eye,” which was easily treated at the vet.
Besides her physical concerns, Jackie also noticed that Heaven carried emotional scars. The dog’s biggest challenge was overcoming her fear of men.
“It seems she went through a traumatic experience with a man in the past. For a long time, she was nervous around men she didn’t know. We worked on that a lot, and now you’d never know it was a problem before,” Jackie reveals.
Fortunately, all the love and patience from the dog’s new family gradually began to have an effect on her oppressed behavior.
“As she began to understand that she was in a safe place, we started introducing toys, car rides, and showing her more of the world. She began to reveal her playful personality,” says Jackie.
Today, Heaven is known for her sweet and unique smile, which has become one of her main characteristics.
“Oh, I first noticed her smile about six months after adoption. It’s contagious; people see her smiling and can’t help but smile too,” Jackie notes.
However, that smile easily disappears if Heaven feels she’s not being treated as she deserves. Try it!
“If she feels like she’s not getting enough treats or isn’t happy about something, her smile quickly disappears,” Jackie explains.
Despite these moments, Heaven is extremely sweet and one of her favorite pastimes is playing in the park.
“She loves going to the park and asking to be put in the baby swings, where she actually sits like a child,” Jackie shares.
This is just one of the many joys the family shares, and now Heaven is “doing great,” as her guardian points out.
“We’re rarely apart. We’ve been to 44 states, and she’ll go anywhere and do anything as long as we’re together,” Jackie concludes.
New stage
Heaven has been having an incredible time in this new phase. Currently, she’s the best “employee” at the Home Depot store in Kentucky, always cheerful, smiling, and loving to greet customers.
Despite her difficult past, which left her afraid of almost everything and very introspective, especially in noisy places, Jackie had a brilliant idea that helped Heaven socialize.
Going to Home Depot was the best way to help Heaven develop trust and appreciation for other people and environments. Soon, her personality won everyone over, and she even earned her own uniform.
Heaven is so beloved by everyone at the store that she even has a framed photo of her in the break room. Even outside of “working hours,” other employees feel happy just seeing her.
Heaven’s smile is so charming that she was named the cutest rescue in the world by People Magazine in 2021. She deserves all this affection.
Despite the trauma, Heaven is getting better every day and looks like a new puppy since leaving the shelter and being adopted.
