Jackie Rakers knew she’d found something special when she adopted her dog, Heaven, from Starfish Animal Rescue in Batavia.
“The second they put her in my arms — I just, I was in love.”
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It took about a year for Heaven to overcome the fear and stress of having been in a shelter, but Rakers tells WBBM Newsradio she’s now all smiles all the time.
No, seriously.
“She was suddenly this happy dog who just loves life and that's what I love about her,” Rakers said. “It doesn't matter what kind of a day I'm having. I wake up to that happy little face who reminds me we're just lucky that we get another day.”
To share Heaven’s smile with the rest of the world and promote pet adoption, Rakers created an Instagram page that now has more than 10,000 followers.
It’s also how she heard about People Magazine’s contest to find the world’s cutest rescue dog.
“One of her other little doggy Instagram friends actually sent it to me and said, ‘You have to enter Heaven in this!’” Rakers said. “I mean, People Magazine is going to get thousands and thousands of entries, so (I thought) probably nothing will come from it. But it doesn't hurt to try.”
Now, Heaven is a top 10 finalist.
The grand prize winner will receive a custom photo shoot, a feature in People and a $1,000 donation to the pet rescue organization of their choice. If Heaven prevails, Rakers would like to see money go toward Starfish Animal Rescue and the Kentucky River Regional Animal Shelter, she said.
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“They do such amazing work with very little.”
The World’s Cutest Rescue Dog contest goes until Sept. 29.
A winner will be announced Oct. 13.
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