Animal rescue workers from At-Choo Foundation in Toluca Lake, California traveled to Tijuana, Mexico not too long ago to intervene in a case of animal hoarding. The team rescued 24 dogs from deplorable conditions, including one little mixed-breed female that seemed especially grateful to be saved.

Meet Smile, a sweet young dog who got her name due to her wide, unceasing smile. Her precious face caught the attention of No Dog Left Behind, a rescue in Minnesota, and they knew they had to help her find the forever home she deserves.

“We heard her story, we saw her pictures, and we fell in love with the hope we saw in her eyes,” NDLB wrote on Facebook. “Smile was destined to join our rescue.”

Smile caught a ride with Mutt Mutt Engine and traveled from California to Minnesota to find her new family.

Smile needed special medical care due to a painful case of sarcoptic mange. She was quarantined to prevent the contagious condition from spreading to other dogs, but she still managed to win staff members over with her melted-chocolate eyes and endless smile.

“I went up to her kennel and she sat up and smiled at me,”NDLB operations manager Stephanie Easley told The Dodo. “It was at that very moment that she captured my heart.”

Stephanie decided to bring Smile home as a foster dog, and the little dog rewarded her with all the love she can handle!

“The genuine love in her eyes is what makes her the most special dog I’ve ever met,” Stephanie said. “They’re expressive… you know exactly what she’s thinking or feeling just by looking at them.”

So far the shelter has received a few applications for this special dog, but she needs to stay with Stephanie until she’s fully healed. When the time is right, it won’t be easy for Stephanie to say goodbye to that smiling face, but she knows Smile deserves a family of her very own.

“We will find her the people that she’s been waiting for her whole life,” Stephanie vowed.