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Home Special Sections Pets

The Beauty Behind the World’s Ugliest Dog, Mr. Happy Face!

August 9, 2022
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stories written or compiled by Loree Walden, Marketing Manager, Yavapai Humane Society

Mr. Happy Face, formerly known as Mathias when he was with us at Yavapai Humane Society (YHS), is a star! From a life most of us could never imagine from a hoarding situation with over 100 other animals to making a huge impact on the world!

We first heard of this hoarding situation in June 2021, and through our partnership with the Prescott Animal Control Department we helped rescue these precious pups and bring them to YHS to start new lives.

Mr. Happy Face was a little guy weighing in at just around 20 pounds and was 17 years old. He had a dry eye on the left side, some lipomas, cysts, he was moving very stiff, had no teeth so his tongue hung out, and had a hacking cough with a mass on his chest.

Our medical staff helped with his eye, cough and the issues we could see, but also checked him for other health issues. Every single staff member loved how happy he was, and after we were cleared by the courts, he was made available for adoption.

On Aug. 21, 2021, Mr. Happy Face’s life changed when he met Jeneda Bennally, who had driven down from Flagstaff to meet the dogs from the hoarding case. She was there to find “one of the hardest to adopt dogs” and give them a loving home.

She met a couple of other Chinese Crested dogs and then Mathias! She learned of all his ailments and his age, and it didn’t matter. He was the ONE!

She says despite all he’d been through, he looked happy and made her smile. That’s when she knew his name was forever going to be, Mr. Happy Face!

She vowed that day that he would be so loved he would never remember how awful his previous life had been.

He quickly became her shadow, following her everywhere; sleeping with her, going for walks (she bought him his very own doggie stroller), and he even has his own wardrobe.

He was having health issues with his joints and coughing, and Jeneda helped him. She has studied traditional Navajo medicine with her father Jones Benally, the first medicine man to work in a hospital, and often works alongside him.

They used traditional Diné (Navajo) musculoskeletal body work to align every bone in his body. He received this treatment and multiple massages daily (and still does) to help keep him healthy and in alignment.

She happened to be in California recording a radio show she’s doing for indigenous youths when she heard about the World’s Ugliest Dog contest. She entered Mr. Happy Face on a whim.

She says he was far too beautiful to ever win an ugliest dog contest, but he did! And a star was born. He won a big trophy, some money which has been donated to his new mission, and even a trip to New York to appear on the Today Show.

He now has his own Instagram account with over 1,000 followers, @mrhappyface_wud and has taken on the new title of “Ambassador of Kindness.” His mission? To help senior dogs and rez dogs find a better life.

Jeneda told me Mr. Happy Face is now providing a platform to bring awareness and a call to action to raise funds for organizations that don’t have resources or accessibility to spay and neuter clinics and vaccines — most of these being on the rez where there is little help for these animals.

Any funds earned for appearances or prize money are donated to Mr. Happy Face’s mission!

Mr. Happy Face recently was featured on an Australian game show and even received a $500 prize being used to spread his message!

Mr. Happy Face currently is touring the country with Jeneda’s band Sihasin, and I encourage you to check out her music as it is truly a spiritual experience.

Jeneda wants to give all animals a better life. She wants to make a difference, and I do believe Mr. Happy Face came into her life to allow her a platform to do exactly that! She said in an ICT Newscast: “This is about respecting elders and adopting old dogs.”

Respecting our elders and those who came before us — we can never repay the debt, or can we, with this precious soul?

Mr. Happy Face has brought endless smiles to people worldwide! Who would’ve ever thought this poor abused animal who came to Yavapai Humane Society would end up being the face of his own campaign, “Create Kindness”?

Jeneda says she loves seeing how much joy his happy face brings to people — the simple act of seeing a happy dog, making such a difference in our lives!

Mr. Happy Face has no idea he’s the World’s Ugliest Dog (Jeneda doesn’t let him hear those words). He only knows a love like he’s never known in his 18 years of life because of Jeneda.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be like Mr. Happy Face? And wouldn’t it be nice to be more like Jeneda? To not look at appearance, age, or health issues — to just see a living being that makes you smile, brings you joy and changes your life.

Senior dogs, dogs with health issues, dogs of specific breed, dogs that aren’t cute are overlooked every day in shelters across the country including Yavapai Humane Society. But you never know what will happen when you give an animal a chance at a new life, no matter how long it may be. You never know the change it will make in both of your lives, because you both need each other more than you could ever know.

Sometimes these precious angels come into our lives to make a difference, and Mr. Happy Face, you have made a difference in the world you will never know, but we thank you and we love you.

Mr. Happy Face, you may be the World’s Ugliest Dog but, in our hearts, you are BEAUTIFUL!

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LOCAL NEWS: The Northern Arizona VA in Prescott has provided an update on their Homeless Veteran Program. . . .PRESCOTT, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona VA Health Care System’s Homeless Veteran Program, along with its community partners, housed 445 Veterans in 2022, exceeding their target goal by 157%.Nationally, the 2022 goal was to house 38,000 homeless Veterans— a goal that was exceeded by 6.3%. The Department of Veterans Affairs remains committed to ending Veteran homelessness and increasing housing placements is critical to achieving this goal.“This success is a result of efforts built on the evidence-based ‘Housing First’ approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then provides the Veteran with the support they need to stay housed,” said Steve Sample, Medical Center Director.In Northern Arizona, there are a variety of services designed to house homeless Veterans. The VA’s Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program includes VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers that provide formerly homeless Veterans with subsidized housing and a wraparound, interdisciplinary case management team to address issues that may have contributed to homelessness. The program provides justice outreach services, employment services, health care services through the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, outreach, and transitional housing support. The VA also works closely with community partners to house homeless Veterans through a system called Coordinated Entry, where community agencies along with the VA regularly meet to coordinate efforts and ensure homeless Veterans do not fall through the cracks.“We are fortunate that there is so much support for helping homeless Veterans in our area,” said Jessica Taylor, Homeless Program Coordinator for the Northern Arizona VA. “This success could not have been possible without great collaboration between our community partners, Housing Authorities, Tribal partnerships, and support from our local communities.”Looking ahead, the VA will continue to explore new avenues to house homeless Veterans and overcome housing barriers. In collaboration with U.S VETS, Gorman & Company, and the Arizona Department of Housing, a supportive housing project on the grounds of the VA’s Fort Whipple campus is in the initial planning stages. The VA is also expanding outreach to ensure that homeless Veterans are aware of services available to them. For Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness— or if you know of homeless Veterans in need of assistance, call 877-424-3838.For more information on renting to or hiring homeless Veterans, visit: www.va.gov/homelessAbout the Northern Arizona VA: Through its main campus in Prescott, along with Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, and Anthem— with additional clinics in Tuba City, Page, Kayenta, Chinle, Holbrook, and Polacca, the Northern Arizona VA provides services to approximately 33,000 Veterans over a catchment area of more than 65,000 square miles.. . .www.facebook.com/VAPrescott ... See MoreSee Less

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Empty Bowls of Prescott Arizona has announced that it will distribute $24,000 to local foodbanks! Their 2022 Empty Bowls fundraising event took place in September, and donations can be made year round on their website.prescott-empty-bowls.square.site ... See MoreSee Less

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