Dogs, no matter what their size, occupy a big space in our hearts. They’re adorable, love us unconditionally and do amusing things. In fact, our days would be incomplete without our daily fix of canine cuteness. Today, we would like you to meet Wiley the Dalmatian. This one year old pooch is on the rise to becoming the Internet’s next favorite pup with the sweet heart he’s got on his nose! According to his 26-year-old mom, Lexi Smith, the pup is “54 pounds of goofy, clumsy, sassy, hungry, cuddly, curious, wild, crazy, silly, happy love”.
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Lexi and Wiley had a lot in common from the very beginning
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Lexi met Wiley on Saint Patrick’s Day last year. At that time, Wiley’s unique marking hadn’t really formed yet.
“He came from a litter of 11, and 8 of them were boys, so I had a tough choice in choosing him. The heart was there, but not fully formed to the point where I believed it would stay since Dalmatian spots change so much as they grow,”
she recalled.
“I chose him because the breeder told me that all he did was sleep, snuggle, and eat… so we already had a lot in common.”
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We can all relate to those traits. However, it didn’t take long for Wiley to outgrow his laziness and become a rambunctious bundle of energy. Thankfully, Colorado’s environment is pretty ideal for hyperactive dogs.
“We are so lucky to live in Colorado and have the biggest, most beautiful places to play in and explore. He loves hiking or going to one of the many massive dog parks here.”
They live in Colorado where Wiley can happily explore
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He’s Lexi’s perfect road trip co-pilot
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For her, Wiley is irreplaceable despite his stubbornness
“Wiley’s truest Dalmatian traits are constantly making me laugh. Usually, it’s a giggle paired with shaking my head, laughing off total frustration from his stubbornness, but that’s part of owning the breed. If you can’t laugh it off and be creative in finding a solution and training the naughty traits out of them, life with a Dalmatian would be such a challenge.”
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“I’ve been really lucky with Wiley though. He has the best heart, and I’m not talking about the one on his nose. He loves everyone he meets and is always excited to make new friends. He has been relatively easy to train and has made the best little adventure partner I could ask for. He requires so much attention and he’s basically attached to my hip, but that’s what I love about him.”
Wiley the Dalmatian is his human’s favorite photography subject
Lexi had been dabbling with photography long before Wiley came into her life. However, she wasn’t serious about it before, until he came. She decided to make an Instagram account for her fur baby. Since it went online, @hi.wiley already has over 173,000 followers, as of writing.
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“Photography has always been something that I have toyed and experimented with, and suddenly I had an adorable puppy who made the perfect model. I have a personal account, but creating a separate one dedicated specifically to Wiley seemed like a great way to kind of store all my photos of him and keep a running timeline of his life.”
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Her decision to document every stage of her pup’s life is definitely a good decision. Because thanks to that, we also get to see how handsome Wiley is becoming! And it seems that her shots improve with every shot she takes! Moreover, thanks to his mom’s penchant for taking his pictures, Wiley has grown to be a very photogenic pooch. He seems to be rather fond of inspecting the lens, judging by the number of close up shots he’s got on the page.
She didn’t make the account for Wiley with fame in mind
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“It truly started as something meant for for just me and maybe some of my friends to see his growth and keep memories of every stage and keep the memories of every stage and event with Wiley. When the account first started growing, I remember thinking, ‘Wow, what if he hits 5,000 followers’! I never in a million years could have imagined it would be what it is now. And it’s still growing. I am constantly amazed, shocked, but mostly so grateful. It’s been a fun little adventure for sure.”