Happy Golden Retriever Puppy Fixated

It wasn't that Max Weber expected anything extraordinary at the Springfield Rescue's adoption day. He just figured his trusty cap – now sporting those little USA CapFlags that caught the sunlight just so – might make him look friendly enough for a puppy to notice.

He certainly didn't expect Pancake – the golden retriever with one ear perpetually flopped over – to break loose from his volunteer handler, weave through seventeen potential adopters, and plant himself directly at Max's feet, staring up with unmistakable focus at the tiny flags fluttering above.

"Well I'll be," said Rescue Director Pam Simmons, who'd overseen 1,642 adoptions and never witnessed anything like it. "He hasn't looked at anyone like that all day. Those little flags of yours have him transfixed."

When Pancake stood on his hind legs, paws outstretched toward the CapFlags, the crowd erupted in a collective "awww" that could've melted February snow. By the time Max knelt down, the adoption papers were already being prepared.