Twinkle was discovered alone on the streets of Miami in June and was brought up by True and Faithful Pet Rescue Mission. She was quite skinny, with rotten teeth, and she immediately began receiving all of the love and care she required and earned.

“She spent a couple weeks recovering from surgery at the vet’s office and began to gain weight,” Lisa Letson, president and founder of True and Faithful Pet Rescue Mission, told The Dodo. “She gained weight, and what a darling she turned out to be!” She was adopted in early September by a beautiful family that appeared wonderful.”

Around Christmas, the rescue got an email from Twinkle’s new home stating that they wished to return her after only four months of ownership.

Twinkle allegedly screamed all night because she wanted to sleep in bed with her new parents. The family also had other older Chihuahuas that wouldn’t sleep in bed with them, so they concluded Twinkle wasn’t a good fit and returned her to the rescue.

“Twinkle was absolutely heartbroken and bewildered,” True and Faithful Pet Rescue’s social media coordinator Madison Mulvihill told The Dodo. “I recall entering into the main dog room and seeing her sitting in the corner on a dog bed, locked off and shivering with dread. She stared at you with a puzzled expression and sadness in her heart. During her return, the owners handed her over the fence. She kept looking back at the fence, and it’s really difficult because we don’t know why someone would do this to her.”

All Twinkle wanted was to spend the night cuddling with her family, and it crushed her heart that they couldn’t. Everyone at the rescue was heartbroken for her. They’d all adored her from the start and couldn’t fathom how someone could return such a precious little soul.

“Twinkle is not only cute, but she has the most personality despite only weighing three and a half pounds,” Mulvihill added. “She craves attention and will approach you if she wants to be liked. She makes the prettiest tiny hops when she walks across the grass at the ranch. She is a genuine snuggle bug, walks well on a leash, and gets along well with other dogs. When she wants to be scratched, she will paw at your hand.”

Twinkle’s pals tweeted about her on TikTok when she returned to the rescue in the hopes that someone might relate to her experience — and the entire internet instantly fell in love with her. Twinkle is now ready to leave for her new forever home after the rescue’s inbox was inundated with adoption inquiries.

“Her new family has six other dogs and a large king bed with plenty of room for her to lie in at night with her new family,” Mulvihill explained. “This senior will spend the rest of her life realizing what genuine love is.”

Twinkle simply wants to love and be loved as much as she can, and she’s finally found a family who accepts her for who she is.