Roverjoyed! Is this the smiliest dog in Britain?
IN a world obsessed with Grumpy Cat, this chap provides the perfect antidote.
Come rain or snow – and there’s been an awful lot of that lately – Seb the shiba inu is there to light up lives with his giant grin.
The 20-month-old has become something of a local celebrity for his smile and gets stopped for photos on every walk.
He even gets regular requests for snaps from online admirers.
Owner Elin Gould, 20, of Caerphilly, South Wales, first noticed her pet’s permanent grin when he was just five months old, and he now smirks away dozens of times a day.
He is especially smiley when it is time for walkies and he adores being stopped by strangers for selfies.
Wedding planner Miss Gould said: ‘Seb is like a celebrity in the area. We can’t go for a walk without getting stopped by people asking to take photos of him.
‘He absolutely loves the attention and he knows how beautiful he is, he is quite a poser. Whenever you point the camera at him he strikes a pose and smiles.
‘He must be the world’s smiliest dog, he is always smiling, bless him. He will just be lying in his bed and smiling away.
‘Every time I see him smiling I quickly get my phone to take a picture, I have hundreds. He is just a really happy dog, I have never seen another dog who smiles as much as he does. You can tell he just really loves life.
‘At the moment the thing that makes him the happiest is licking people, going for walks and running around the garden.
‘He also smiles loads if you scratch his ears for him and if you stop he gives you this look like “Come on, tickle me again”. Everyone who sees him falls in love with him. He’s got hundreds of online followers and people even send us smile requests.’
An ancient Japanese breed, the shiba inu was originally used as a hunter, but today its good nature makes it one of the most popular companion dogs in Japan. Miss Gould said Seb was the perfect pet because he is extremely loving and intelligent.
‘When we got Seb he was so tiny, he looked just like a fox,’ she said.
‘People still ask me now if he is a fox but it’s just his breed, they are such beautiful dogs.
‘Seb is so lovely and he is so intelligent – he picks things up really quickly.
‘When he was a puppy he worked out how to unlock his crate and if he sees you put something away in a drawer he’ll go and open the drawer to get it back out again.
‘He loves cuddles but it has to be on his terms. He’ll come and sit next to you and when he’s ready to snuggle he’ll nuzzle his head into you, it’s very cute.’