Remember Lil’ Bub and Grumpy Cat? The people of the internet tend to fall head-over-heels for animals that look a little different from the norm!
Perhaps that’s why a dog named Belle is having such a moment. Belle was born with a rare birth defect that stretches the muscles in her head back, causing her eyes to appear wide open and perpetually surprised. The condition doesn’t hurt her at all, but it does attract attention wherever she goes.
Lieschen O’Neill of Kansas adopted the Doberman-cattle dog mix from the Lawrence Humane Society back in 2017. The moment she set eyes on Belle, Lieschen knew she was the perfect dog for her, and not just because of her permanently-shocked facial expression.
“She is gentle with other animals and great with kids,” Lieschen explained. “Belle is extremely sweet and a little goofy. If dogs could laugh, Belle would definitely laugh a lot!”
Lieschen says she has to apply eye drops to Belle’s eyes to keep them from drying out, but other than that the dog doesn’t require any extra care.
When she noticed how much people seem drawn to the animal, Lieschen decided to share Belle’s cute, unique face with the world. She started a TikTok and Instagram page for Belle, and thousands of people have already followed them for frequent pup-dates.
Belle’s TikTok page has already gotten 6.1 million likes, and her audience seems to grow bigger every day! Her fans are learning that there’s more to this dog than just another pretty face; she’s also a goofball who marches to the beat of her own drummer.
“People online tend to think Belle is the cutest pup ever,” Lieschen said.
We can definitely see why!
“I love this dog more than I love some family members,” wrote one big Belle fan on TikTok. “Good gracious. She’s beautiful,” wrote another.
Belle is one of the sweetest new additions to the internet’s famous animal category. We’re so glad Lieschen shared her with us!
Speaking of sharing… why not introduce a friend to Belle today? She’ll be shocked if you don’t!
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