Shelter Dog Wins Adoption at New York Starbucks After 1 Instant Encounter

Q: What hidden danger lies in the heartwarming moment a shelter dog licks your face?

The hidden danger is infection from bacteria in a dog’s saliva, especially if the lick reaches your mouth, eyes, broken skin, or an open cut. For most healthy people, an occasional face lick is low risk, but experts say a dog’s mouth is not “cleaner” than a human’s and should not be treated as harmless by default. Doctors and veterinarians point in particular to **Capnocytophaga canimorsus**, a bacterium commonly found in dogs that usually causes no trouble but can, in rare cases, trigger severe illness, sepsis, or even death in people after saliva gets past the body’s normal barriers. The danger rises sharply for people who are immunocompromised, taking immune-suppressing drugs, being treated for cancer, lacking a spleen, or dealing with alcohol-use disorder. That does not undercut the heartwarming adoption story. It means the safe response is simple: wash the area with soap and water after a lick, avoid letting dogs lick your face or any wound, and be especially careful if you are medically vulnerable. If saliva contacts a surgical site, open wound, or mucous membrane and symptoms such as redness, swelling, fever, vomiting, weakness, or confusion follow, seek medical care promptly. Behavior experts also note that face-licking is usually normal dog behavior. It can signal friendliness, attention-seeking, curiosity, grooming, or stress. In short, the emotional bond may be real, but the health risk comes from where the saliva lands and the health of the person receiving it.

Q: Why might a dog's affectionate face-lick actually be a secret plea for space?

A dog’s face-lick can be affectionate, but it can also be an appeasement signal — a way of saying it feels uneasy and wants more distance. Behavior experts say dogs lick faces for many reasons: greeting, attention-seeking, curiosity, stress relief, or learned behavior because people react positively. In social situations, licking often means “I’m no threat.” If a dog is uncomfortable, that same behavior can become a peacekeeping gesture aimed at defusing tension and getting someone to back off. The key is the rest of the dog’s body language. A relaxed dog that gives a quick lick and stays loose may be friendly. But fast, repetitive licking paired with pinned-back ears, whale eye, dilated pupils, a tucked tail, a lowered body, leaning away, or repeated head turns can signal stress. In that context, what looks like a “kiss” may actually be the dog asking for space. That matters because people often reward licking with attention, which can reinforce the behavior without addressing the dog’s discomfort. If those stress signs appear, experts recommend calmly ending the interaction, giving the dog room, and avoiding pressure from strangers or children. In the Starbucks adoption story, the lick likely helped create an instant bond with Steve Wruble. But more broadly, experts caution that not every face-lick should be read as simple affection; sometimes it is a subtle warning that the dog is trying to stay safe and avoid conflict.

3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 25

A shelter dog seen riding in a backpack at a New York City Starbucks was adopted almost immediately after Steve Wruble met her in line.
Wruble said the bond formed on the spot: the dog locked eyes with him, let him pet her head and licked his face.
“I literally gave my heart away to this dog so quickly,” Wruble said, describing the brief encounter that led to the adoption.