Brian Myers’ life was saved by the same dog he had saved just months before. And their meeting after Myers was released from the hospital was even more emotional than when they first met.

Myers rescued his 6-year-old German shepherd, named Sadie after she was abandoned at the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Shelter in New Jersey. The shelter staff had trouble placing Sadie because she was nervous around humans and defensive.

“[She was] a little standoffish when she came in and she wasn’t sure what was going on,” Heather Centrella, the intake manager at Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, told us. “She became a little withdrawn in the shelter, so we knew she would need an experienced home with someone patient.”

After their encounter, Myers made up his mind to take Sadie home in only thirty minutes. She no longer seemed to have the issues with guys that she was supposed to. “She jumped in my car and we developed a strong bond. I was able to work through the issues she had and committed to giving her the home and love she deserved,” Myers said in a Facebook post.

“She kept licking me and crying, so I reached up with my right hand to pet her, then grabbed her collar,” Myers told The Washington Post.

Few months later, Myers would be saved, but he had no idea that Sadie would be the one to do it.
A ordinary evening at home was being enjoyed by the couple when Myers unexpectedly suffered a stroke. He was unable to feel anything between his bed and the wall because he was blind on his left side.

“It was really scary – I couldn’t get up and I didn’t realize at the time that I had had a stroke,” Myers said. “My cell phone was on the dresser about 15 feet away, but I had no way to reach it.”

Sadie acted quickly and licked her father’s face in an effort to make him feel better.

The dog wouldn’t leave him alone.
In the hopes that the neighbors would hear her, she kept barking for assistance. Myers extended an arm to grab her collar when something unexpected happened.

Sadie then used all her strength to drag her father across the room so he could be closer to his phone.
“She wasn’t trained as a service dog, but she was distressed because of what was going on and she could tell I was in trouble,” he said. “I don’t know how she did it, but she knew.”

Myers was able to reach his phone and call for help. Doctors at the hospital told Myers that Sadie probably helped save his life.

Sadie stayed with Myer’s family while her father spent time in the hospital and then in rehab.
“They FaceTime, and he says she’s a little confused because she wants to go after her dad and she’s crying,” Centrella said. “But he reassures her that he’s doing everything he can to get her home as soon as possible so they can be reunited.”

When that day finally came, he was extremely happy.

Myers shed tears as Sadie jumped into his arms and covered his face with kisses.
“It was the best decision I ever made to adopt her,” Myers said. “I feel like it was meant to be.