A shelter dog seemed to be “smiling” when a familiar face paid him a visit—because he may well have realized what it meant.
Eugene, a sweet one-and-a-half year old dog, first came to the Best Friends Pet Resource Center, a shelter based in northwest Arkansas, from Jacksonville Animal Services in Jacksonville, Arkansas.
Best Friends Animal Society is a nonprofit animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the euthanizing of dogs and cats in shelters through adoption, fostering and community programs.
Eugene was brought to Jacksonville Animal Services as a stray and was there for a few months before Best Friends brought him into its program. Strays make up the majority of animals residing in shelters across the U.S.
According to the ASPCA, 5.8 million cats and dogs entered shelters in the U.S. over the course of 2024. Of that number, an estimated 60 percent were strays, many of whom were left facing uncertain futures.
Eugene was one of the lucky ones though. As Christmas 2025 approached, he got a first opportunity to experience what a happy life beyond the shelter might look like. Eugene was fostered by a couple, Jason and Nikki, who decided to provide him with a temporary home.
However, when it came time to bring Eugene back to Best Friends so he could meet potential adopters, Jason and Nikki were conflicted. They had totally fallen in love with him during their short time together.
At the same time, they didn’t want to deprive him of the opportunity to get adopted. So, before they handed him back, Jason and Nikki made Eugene a promise: if he wasn’t adopted by the end of the holiday season, they would come back for him.
On December 28, Nikki and Jason made good on their promise, returning to bring Eugene home. It was a moment captured on camera by Best Friends, and one made all the more special by Eugene’s reaction.
It’s impossible to know if Eugene fully understood what was going on that day. However, Stanley Coren a professor emeritus in the Psychology Department at the University of British Columbia and the author of several books about dogs, previously told the American Psychological Association that dogs possess a level of intelligence on a par with a two-year-old child.
Whatever the reality about Eugene’s intelligence and understanding of the situation, he was visibly delighted at seeing Nikki again. It was a sight to behold with Eugene all smiles and wiggles, unable to contain his excitement at the happy reunion.
“While we can’t know exactly what he was thinking, when Eugene saw Jason and Nikki return to Best Friends, I think he knew they had come back for him,” Michelle Logan, Executive Director of the Best Friends Pet Resource Center, told Newsweek. “One of the ways dogs show they’re happy is a wiggly body and tail. Watching this video, it’s clear that Eugene is thrilled to be reunited with his fosters-turned-adopters.”
Best Friends Animal Society ended up sharing footage of the heartwarming moment to their Instagram, where dog lovers were overjoyed at Eugene’s response.
“He’s so happy he’s smiling that made my day!” one viewer wrote.
“I’m bawling my eyes out!!! So happy for this pup!!!” another commented with a third adding: “Omg,, he’s actually smiling with relief, that she came back!!! It’s like he Knew what she was saying!! Dogs are THE BEST Souls!!! Omg.”
Since the video was filmed Eugene has been renamed Louie and is settling in nicely with Nikki and Jason. He has a new brother, Ruger, a fellow rescue dog, and Nikki says “they have become inseparable. They are so loved.”
