They say that the saddest people smile the brightest, and that seems to extend beyond those of us who walk on two legs.

Let us introduce you to Sanford, the dog who still found a lot to smile about, even after being broken and left behind.

His persistent, resilient nature is precisely what captured the heart of his foster mom, Karen Velasquez.

When they found Sanford, he was worse for wear and had seen better days.

The poor dog had one serious injury after another.

It was a wonder that he even made it this far.

Sanford was found by rescuers after suffering a grim accident at the hands of a car. The car hitting him left him unable to walk, which was sad enough. Though that wasn’t the only burden Sanford was carrying.

The precious dog also had a bullet wound in his right leg.

Needless to say, Sanford was quite the survivor.

When the dog was brought to a shelter, the extent of his physical condition became pretty obvious. The staff at the shelter went to see him, and Sanford barely moved or interacted.

He was alive, but that didn’t mean he was ready to keep on living.

That’s what Kenny Anechiarico, executive director of Dallas Dog Rescue.Rehab.Reform, explained in an interview with The Dodo all about Sanford.

“It’s almost like he had given up, and he was just waiting for his time to come.”

Sanford wasn’t having the brightest of days. Although as heavy as the rain can get, the sun’s gotta come out sooner or later.

Things took a much-needed turn when Sanford came into the foster care of Karen Velasquez.

There, he remembered what the life of a dog truly should be.

When Sanford came into Velasquez’ home, everything that he used to love came back to him. Once he knew that he had a home to stay in, his smiles slowly returned. That was a huge turning point for the dog’s life, and for the folks looking after him now.

It only got better from there, too. First came the home, then the family, then the food. Now Sanford is as happy as a dog can be.

That’s the kind of comeback story we like to hear.

With the regular walks from Velasquez, as well as her other dogs that he’s already bonded with, he’s got plenty to smile about. In fact, he’s so playful and happy now that you’d hardly have guessed the state he used to be in.

Sanford is no puppy either. At 10 years old, he’s a full-on senior of a dog. Not that you could be blamed for not knowing. He hardly acts his age.

He’s all jolly, happy, and cheerful all the time, it’s almost like he’s not aged at all.

But as fun as things are for Sanford at the foster home with Karen, he’s still in need of a forever home. I think any family that ends up adopting him is going to have a really precious time with him. Hopefully, that doesn’t take too long.

Sanford’s journey from broken to whole again is worth a lot of smiles.

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Source: The DODO, Dallas Dog RRR on Facebook