Sam is a 13 year-old German shepherd who was sent to an Arizona animal shelter after his owner was deployed overseas to serve in the U.S. Navy. Things were not looking good for Sam, as the shelter could not find anyone who wanted to adopt a dog as old as he was.

The shelter was left with no choice but to schedule Sam to be euthanized. As a last ditch effort, the German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County placed a call to George Johnson, a 93-year-old Navy veteran from California. George had been looking for an older dog to adopt ever since his own dog passed away, but he had not been able to find a canine who needed him: until the rescue called about Sam.

The rescue had been keeping an eye out for elderly dogs in need of adoption, and they thought Sam was the perfect pet for George. The veteran said it was love at first sight as soon as he saw Sam.

“He’s an old gentleman, so I say this, two old dogs together, old sea dog and an old German Shepherd and we’re gonna hang in there as long as we can,” George said of the dog.

When the Petco Foundation learned about this, they awarded the rescue $25,000 for helping to save Sam. They also gave Sam himself his very own holiday shopping spree, so he’s in for some new toys for Christmas!

We applaud George for becoming a hero once again when he saved Sam! Find out more about this in the video below.