Matilda had every reason to be a sad, scared puppy. She was only two months old, but had spent those two months living as a stray in Georgia. She had worms in her stomach and irritated skin. When the Douglas County Animal Shelter picked her up, even with her rough start, the happy little dog just couldn’t keep her tail from wagging. She was always happy!

Santina Sanders, a volunteer at the shelter, said her tail wagged nonstop and she gave out the sweetest kisses, but it wasn’t just Sanders who fell in love with Matilda. A rescue group named Pibbles & More found out about her and decided to place her in a foster home and get her out of the shelter.

When Teresa Bowles-Chiofalo picked Matilda up from the shelter, she was even more happy than Teresa ever thought she could be. Teresa says Matilda is the absolute definition of joy. At her foster home, her mom Kerrie Rich says that Matilda wags her tail so hard that she walks crooked because of it.

The only thing they discovered that Matilda doesn’t like is collars. When Kerrie put a collar on Matilda, it was the very first time her tail stopped wagging. Guessing that Matilda’s skin was still irritated, she took the collar back off.

Matilda loves napping with her foster siblings, hanging out with the neighbors, and playing with her toys. She even likes to help her human foster brother with his homework. While she may not be very good at the problems, she’s great at providing moral support.

Kerrie says she’s tried to catch Matilda on camera several times to video her antics, but as soon as she sees the phone, Matilda runs right at her. Apparently she loves being in the spotlight and knows exactly what that phone is for!