When people adopt a pet, we often wonder, “Who really saved whom?” In the case of Brian Myers and his German shepherd named Sadie, the answer is clear: They saved each other!

Brian adopted the 6-year-old dog in September at the height of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Like many older rescues, Sadie came with a few challenges. She had been surrendered by her first owner when they moved to an apartment that didn’t allow large breed dogs. She was fearful of strangers, particularly men, and spent a month at the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge in New Jersey before Brian decided to give her a second chance.

The very first night at her new home, Sadie let Brian know that they would be fast friends. “She jumped up and put her paws on my shoulders and gave me a kiss on the face,” Brian told Today. “And it just seemed to me that she was saying, ‘Thank you for rescuing me.’”

Sadie fits right in with Brian’s lifestyle! They share a bed each night and take 4-mile walks together nearly every day. Plus, when Brian got sick with COVID-19, the loyal dog refused to leave his side.

After he recovered from the virus, Brian thought his troubles were behind him. But then he woke up in the middle of the night in January, tried to get up to use the bathroom, and collapsed on the floor.

“I thought I was out of the woods with COVID,” he said. “But apparently many people are developing blood clots after they’ve recovered from COVID. And so unbeknownst to me, I had a stroke in the middle of the night.”

Brian was trapped in a corner of his bedroom, unable to move. Luckily, Sadie saw him fall and jumped off the bed, nervously licking his face and whining. Brian tried to comfort his worried pup, eventually grasping her collar.

“When I grabbed her collar, she, I don’t know, just instinctively knew to start walking backward and pulling me. And between her pulling me and whatever strength I could muster, I was able to slide myself across the floor and get out of the corner I was trapped in,” he said. “Otherwise I may be still laying there right now.”

Sadie helped Brian reach his phone so he could call for help. He was taken to the hospital and then a rehabilitation center to receive physical therapy to regain strength in the left side of his body, and he’s extremely grateful to be alive!

As for Sadie, she stayed with his brother, who helped her FaceTime with Brian every day until they could be reunited.

Now, Brian is even more determined to give Sadie the best life he can offer her to repay her for her loyalty! He hopes others might hear this story and consider adopting their next dog. This life-saving thing clearly works both ways!

See their sweet reunion in the video below, and share Sadie’s heroism to get the word out and encourage more pet adoptions.