Almost two years ago we rescued a little Lab/hound mix who we named Ginger. I have had dogs as pets in the past but I have never seen one this intelligent. She knows words and phrases and she sometimes knows when we spell them out. Unlike other dogs I have known, when I point my finger in a certain direction, she never looks at my finger. She looks in the direction in which I am pointing. Always.

One night she was laying on the bed and we were playing. In this particular game, she lays on her side and I slowly warn her that she is about to receive a kiss on her cheek. She continues to lay down, remaining calm, and looks at me askance, the whites of her eyes showing, patiently and tolerantly awaiting her kiss. This evening was different. When I gave her a kiss, I raised my head to look at her and right before my eyes, she smiled! I saw her lips move in the same way that the Grinch did in that movie, except this smile was not computer generated. Her lips were a flat line across her muzzle and in one smooth action, curved into a smile. Now, I did not believe for a minute this was a smile the same way a human smiles, but it was interesting nonetheless. I told my wife, my kids, everybody I know, but I was met with a little skepticism and just shrugged the whole thing off. A few weeks later I looked at her while she was sleeping, and she smiled again! I quickly grabbed my cell phone and took a couple of photos, which I have attached to this email. I swear, I did not manipulate these photos in any way.I showed my wife and kids and they laughed out loud. I will never know if it was a smile or not, but it doesn’t matter. I know she smiles, whether it is with her lips or her eyes.

– Nicholas from FL