How An Adorable Rescue Dog Inspired An Engagement

Meatball (a.k.a. Meaty) is an adorable rescue pup that's bringing happiness — and marriage — to his human owners. Lisa Reilly adopted the smiley dog from the Fresno Bully Rescue after seeing him on its Facebook page. At first, Meaty seemed like a terror. "Everything went wrong: I woke up to a sea of chewed shoes; he barked and yodeled at me when he wasn't fed on time; he chased our little dogs; and he would just lay down on walks, refusing to budge any further," Reilly wrote in an essay for Petco.

Thankfully, Meaty bonded with Joe, a guy Reilly had gone on a first date with two days before she adopted the cute pup. When Meaty refused to continue his walks, Joe carried the 65-pound dog home. It only got better after training at Petco, which turned Meaty into what Reilly calls "quite the smarty-pants and an agility star in a jelly-roll body." That's when Joe decided to enlist Meaty to propose to his girlfriend and fellow dog parent. He decked Meaty out in a tuxedo and even trained him to stay steady while balancing an engagement-ring box on his nose. Of course, Reilly said yes. Who could deny that smiling face?

Best of all, Meaty is now the best pup, ever! "He now sits and waits for permission to eat, snuggles with our little dogs every night, and knows lots of tricks!" Reilly wrote. "He's still very farty and the two guys compete for loudest snore, but I can't imagine our world without him!"