One morning, Lakisha Smith went out and realized she forgot something. She immediately drove home, called her daughter, and asked her to bring it out to her. She was waiting outside her house when she stumbled upon a pit bull sitting in her backyard.
The poor dog was abandoned and was malnourished in rough shape. As Smith and her daughter walked towards him, he just stared. He clearly needed someone to help him. He waited outside in the family’s backyard and was hoping that he picked the right people and the right house.
Image Credit: LAKISHA SMITH
Smith’s daughter carefully petted the dog and gently gave him some cuddles. He felt comfortable and happily accepted her love. At that moment, the family knew that they couldn’t resist this cute dog. For this reason, they decided to welcome him into their house and called him Poppy.
“I told her to feed him because he looked like he was starving,” Smith told The Dodo. “He was thirsty and very dehydrated. When I came back from running errands, my husband Trey and our daughter Ja’Mya and I bathed him. He was infested with fleas, had thinning hair, and was very dirty.”
Image Credit: LAKISHA SMITH
Smith made a cozy bed for Poppy, wanting to ensure that she could make him as comfortable as possible. The next day, she took him to a local shelter and the veterinarian’s clinic to check for a microchip and see if someone had been looking for him.
She even posted some of Poppy’s pictures on social media, hoping that they would reach his previous owners. The search came up empty.
Image Credit: LAKISHA SMITH
Smith’s family found the news comforting because they’d already begun to fall in love with Poppy and they wanted to keep him forever.
After everything Poppy had been through, he was hesitant about his new home and owners. It was clear that he needed some time to learn to trust again.
Image Credit: LAKISHA SMITH
Thanks to the family’s love and care, the poor dog slowly began to warm up and bond with his new family. He trusted all members of his family and started showing his sweet and incredible personality.
Then one day, a man responded to Smith’s post on Facebook and said that he was Poppy’s owner, and he wanted to bring him home. Everyone was crushed, as they really loved Poppy and considered him a member of the family.
When the owner arrived to pick Poppy, the dog appeared discontented and his reaction was indescribable. After witnessing how much Poppy loved the Smith family, the owner decided to let them keep him.
Image Credit: LAKISHA SMITH
“The guy walked away and said, ‘You have a good home now,” Lakisha said.
Poppy is already a member of the Smith family, but this made it official. The dog and the family couldn’t have been happier about it. After everything happened, he chose the right people who want him and love him forever.
Over the years, Poppy needed medical attention for complications from previous arrangements, and there were a few times where the vets said he wasn’t going to make it. But every time, Poppy pulled through because he knew he had to make it back home to his family.
Image Credit: LAKISHA SMITH
“[The vet] said, ‘He has a will to live now … his new family,’” Smith said.
The family loves Poppy so much that they can’t live without him now.
“We love our Poppy and he loves the Smiths,” Smith said. “He’s ours.”
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H/t: The Dodo