Dog With 'Constant Smile' Needs Serious Donations For Neurological Condition

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KOVR-TV) -  Jasper, an eight-pound Chihuahua mix, is gifted or cursed with a constant smile.  He can play like the rest of them and give you snuggles too, but what really captures everyone's heart, is his smile.

"I think everyone that sees him just instantly smiles," says Haley Waugh, Front Street Animal Shelter Public Information Coordinator. "It's kind of the first thing you notice when you see him is he has a big old smile on his face."

Waugh says Jasper has nerve damage that prompts facial expressions mimicking a smile. "We think that he has some neurological issues going on," she tells KOVR-TV in Sacramento.

Jasper's facial nerves pull his muscles back causing his ears to perk up and give him a constant smile.  Waugh says tests and treatments will be very expensive.  The shelter posted video of Jasper on Facebook, hoping for donations.

"So far it's looking like it will be around $4,000, but that could add up to more depending on how much treatment he needs and it could be ongoing," adds Waugh.

For now, the goal is keeping Jasper as comfortable as possible so when he does flash those pearly whites he's doing it out of happiness. "He might not have the most time left but we're going to do whatever we can to make the best of it and give him as much time here as we can as comfortably as possible," says Waugh.

Once they nail down what condition causes that constant canine smile, they're hoping to find Jasper treatment and a permanent home.

They believe he's about three-years-old and gets along with other dogs with no behavioral concerns. If you'd like to help, you can donate online.