Smiley pup Chupey had a hard start to life, being born into a litter that was sent to a rescue centre, and having liver problems.
That hasn’t stopped him smiling his way through life, however. In fact, the way he was born means he’s permanently smiling.
The almost two-year-old dog was rescued by 28-year-old Kaley Carlyle as a baby in October 2018.
Kaley has been rescuing dogs for around five years, and says: ‘A woman who had previously brought me a litter of puppies which had seizures came back to me again with another littler of three puppies – two were healthy and one was really different and looked a bit like a wolf.’
That wolf-like dog was Chupey, who’s named on the Mexican folklore creature, the Chupacabra, as Kaley believes he hugely resembles a coyote or wolf and smiles like a hyena.
Cheeky chappie Chupey, who is almost two years old, has a permanent grin due to a birth defect which caused his lips to not be able to cover his teeth.
‘I had to make a deal with the lady, agreeing that she spayed the litter’s mum and in turn I’d take in the puppy that was different to the others, who was Chupey.
‘We couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him at first, he had a different physical appearance to most dogs because he’s hairless, his ears are inside out, he has little beady eyes and of course his teeth are always on show, giving him his smile.
‘It turned out that he had bad liver problems, which made him really exhausted all the time and he would even sleep for around 23 hours per day – and he only weighs 2st 5lbs.’
The radiologist, from Georgia in the US, put Chupey on special food to help his liver problems, and he’s now fighting fit.
Due to his lack of fur, he has to wear sunscreen when it’s hot and has an array of cute outfits to flaunt when it’s cold to keep him warm.
They also found out that Chupey isn’t in fact a mythical beast, with a special dog DNA test showing that he is, in fact, a fun-loving pitbull and rottweiler cross.
Despite having obstacles, Kayley hasn’t let Chupey’s health issues be a drawback to him, with his happy attitude and enviable spirit earning him thousands of followers on social media.
Kaley added: ‘My favourite thing about Chupey is his attitude – he always wants to be part of what you’re doing and does a little shimmy dance when he’s excited.
‘He’s also insanely cuddly – if you get out a blanket he comes running straight away and will bark at you until you let him under.
‘I think people need to give special needs dogs a chance and look at the dogs that aren’t as beautiful and striking as the rest.
‘I hope I can encourage people to look at dogs differently and understand that personality is more important than looks.’
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