Jessica Williams and her boyfriend, Jared, moved into a pet-friendly apartment and immediately knew they wanted to adopt a dog. She waited until her birthday, and that’s when she spotted the saddest looking dog she had ever seen.

Benji was a stray that had been picked up in Los Angeles and taken to a shelter. He had a flea allergy and had lost a lot of fur. He was also scared, nervous, and timid and wasn’t coping well with shelter life.

Jessica immediately fell in love with his sad eyes the moment she saw him. She knew she couldn’t leave him in the shelter. Benji had been at the shelter for 10 days and would snarl at anyone who came near him. Still, Jessica was determined to take him home.

Jared and Jessica drove six hours from their home in Sacramento to Los Angeles to rescue Benji. When she arrived the staff at the shelter tried to deter them from taking such a problematic dog.

The shelter told them that he wasn’t friendly and refused to take them into a calm waiting area where they could get to know him. Jessica said they knew he would likely be euthanized if they left him, so they adopted him anyway.

As soon as Jessica met him, they signed the papers and headed home. Benji was nervous on the way home and isolated himself. It was clear that he didn’t want to bond.

But when the couple reached their apartment with him, it was like a switch flipped. Benji realized he was in a safe and loving home and he started to bond with Jessica and Jared.

Within three weeks, Benji was a real member of the family and his sad face turned into a very happy one. He now loves going on adventures with his new mom and dad.

This just goes to prove that sometimes a shelter dog just needs some love and affection to turn them in to a normal, happy pup. If you agree, be sure to share this story with your family and friends.