A man in Teaneck, New Jersey, is telling the story of how his German shepherd rescue dog saved his life in a moment of distress.
When 59-year-old Brian Myers suffered a stroke on January 16 and fell on his bedroom floor, his dog, Sadie, immediately took action and helped him get to his phone, according to ABC 7.
The six-year-old German shepherd jumped off the bed, laid down next to her master, and would not leave him alone as she repeatedly licked his face.
Myers said he grabbed Sadie’s collar to use as a counterweight and get up off the floor, and somehow she knew to help by “pulling her body weight and pulling me enough to give me the momentum to get myself out of the corner that I was stuck in.”
Prior to the rescue, Myers adopted Sadie from the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge located in Oakland.
“We had developed a strong bond,” he said of the day they met.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the refuge shared a photo of Myers and his beloved companion:
“I adopted [Sadie] knowing that she had issues with men. I sensed that she was a great dog and I decided to adopt her in the first 30 minutes… It was the best decision I could have made because she is amazingly loving and my best friend,” Myers said in the post.
He added that Sadie has been staying with his brother’s family while he is recovering.
“I miss her terribly and can’t wait to see her and love her even more than I already have,” he noted.
Myers also encouraged others to consider rescuing a dog, calling it “the greatest thing you could do.”
“They show their appreciation for you and they’re very grateful to you for having rescued them,” he explained.
According to the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) website, German shepherds are known to be loyal, confident, courageous, steady and are “truly a dog lover’s delight.”