Those animals that endure cruelty can often give up on life, thinking there is no hope for happiness.

Sanford was considered a “broken dog” when he arrived at a shelter in Texas. He’d been run over but also had a bullet wound in his right leg.

He stayed in the corner of the shelter and didn’t look at anyone.

But when a foster mom took him home and introduced him to her other foster dogs he hasn’t stopped smiling since.

Foster mom Karen Velazquez says he’s the happiest dog she’s ever met.

“I am presently on my 52nd foster, and I can genuinely say that I’ve never had anyone as jovial as him,” Karen told The Dodo.

“He looks at me in a way that no other animal or human has ever looked at me, including my own pets. Essentially, the only time he is not smiling is when he is asleep or eating.”

He was found at the side of the road by animal control officers after being hit by a car and also had a bullet wound in his right hind leg.

He was taken to a small shelter in Dallas but they were short on resources so he didn’t get any medical care.

Thankfully a volunteer from local dog rescue group Dallas DogRRR, spotted Sanford and knew she had to help immediately.

“He was physically broken … and when the volunteer went to see him, he didn’t really make any effort to come and say hello,” Kerry Anechiarico, executive director of Dallas DogRRR, told The Dodo. “It’s almost like he had given up, and he was just waiting for his time to come.”

After he’d received the medical care he needed he was then taken to foster mom Karen’s home and became a different dog.

“He has been all smiles ever since,” she said. “I think the minute he came to my home, he realized he was in a safe place.”

Now Sanford, or ‘Sanfee’ to Karen, is living the best life eating home-cooked meals, going for daily walks and playing with his new dog pals.

The 10-year-old dog is playful for his age and now needs a forever home.

“He’s like the older gentleman that you see in a nursing home. He may be 95 years old, but he acts like he’s in his 50s,” Kerry said.

“He’ll be a great family dog,” she added. “He’ll get along with other dogs and all humans. He even does well with kids.”