He adopted a dog that no one else wanted. It ended up saving his life

They say a dog is a man’s best friend.

For one New Jersey man, his rescue dog has become much more than that.

Sadie, a 100-pound German Shepherd, had been turned away by three shelters by the time she arrived at the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge in Oakland, New Jersey, in early 2020. Sadie was very anxious and especially uneasy around men.

“Our shelter is kind of the last resort place for unwanted dogs,” RBARI Executive Director Megan Brinster told CNN. “We’ve gotten really good at finding homes for these kinds of dogs.

“We’d thought Sadie would end up in a female’s home,” Brinster said. “But as soon as we brought Brian in to meet her, we knew it was an instant match. She was all over him.”

In early October, Myers took Sadie home. After three months of bonding and training, Myers and Sadie became close companions during the isolation of the pandemic.

“We were able to work through all her (anxiety) issues,” Myers told CNN. “She is a remarkable dog.”

On January 18, Sadie proved just how remarkable.

“I woke up one night to use the bathroom and when I got up, I felt my legs give out from underneath me and I fell to the floor,” said Myers, who had recovered from Covid-19 earlier that month.

“I was trapped in a small space between my bed and the wall, unable to reach my cellphone. I laid there on the floor wondering, ‘How long will I be stuck here before someone finds me?'”

Sadie, aware that something bad was happening, ran to Myers and started licking his face and showing signs of distress.

“In an effort to console her, I started petting her and as soon as I placed my hand on her collar, she immediately started pulling me across the room where I was able to grab my cellphone and call for help.”

After spending nearly three weeks in a rehab facility, Myers and his loyal companion enjoyed a tearful reunion.

“She was jumping all over me, kissing me, knocking my mask off and all I could think was ‘I love this dog,'” said Myers, who is now planning to write a children’s book about Sadie.

If there’s one thing we know, it’s that the feelings are definitely mutual.