RILEY THE SMILING BIRTHDAY DOG

Here's one happy hound - Riley the dog couldn't stop SMILING when he got his first birthday cake.

His owner Maureen Ravelo grabbed a camera when her pooch broke out in a human-like beam upon being presented with the treat.

The pampered pet was celebrating at Maureen's home in San Jose, but it wasn't such a big surprise, according to 22-year-old Maureen, the bichon fries/poodle mix thinks he's a person.

Maureen says: "Riley always makes faces like this, and that's the best part about him. He gives you a new facial expression every time that you forget he's a dog.

"Ever since he came into my family's life, we've always thought he had oddly human-like features, which have been captured on camera on more than one occasion. "He looks like an old man!" My mom always says.

"The most unique part about him is he thinks he's human like us. He loves to sit up on chairs while we're eating dinner in the kitchen and he even sleeps in our beds at night. Sometimes, I wonder if he realises he's really a dog.

"Sometimes he'll be curious and follow you around with a face that says "What are you doing?" or "Can I come with you?" Other times, he'll be lying on the floor half-asleep giving you a snobbish look saying, "Thanks for waking me up" and then continue snoozing.

"My family and I are happy that we get to share Riley's goofy smile with the world. If ever you're having a bad day, remember there's a dog out there smiling over his birthday cake!"