We are suckers for great animal rescue stories – and if you are reading this right now we are guessing you are too.

Every day, all over the world there are pet adoptions happening. A senior dog finding the perfect quiet home, a puppy going to a young family – a kitten getting ready to spread their wings or the senior cat getting the perfect lap to cuddle up in.

But rarely do we get to see what happens after that adoption – or what impact that adoption has made on a life or lives.

That is where Mutual Rescue comes in.

Mutual Rescue was created in 2015 – a campaign on behalf of the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. The purpose was to reduce the thought that donations to animal organizations somehow did not help people. They wanted to change the dynamic of helping “people OR animals” to helping “people AND animals”.

The idea of sharing real stories of animal adoptions and how those adoptions have changed the lives of the people that adopt them in our eyes is a brilliant move to inspire more people to adopt.

The team from Mutual Rescue worked with an ad agency, Advocate Creative, to create the first video which was used to garner interest for others to submit their stories. This one video inspired over 400 submissions of stories of adoption and wound up going viral!

“…because a shelter dog saved my life. “

Those are the words Eric uses in the premier Mutual Rescue video and he goes on to tell a story of love, acceptance and thankfulness for a shelter dog that changed his world.

Once overweight, lonely and told he would die in a few years – to a healthy, outgoing runner who learned to love life again – because of a shelter dog named Peetey, Eric shares his journey and love for this special dog who himself was unloved and overweight.

This is a true story of “who rescued whom”.

Get the tissues – because you will cry.

And if you are a real sucker for a great adoption story – you can view their other videos on their website Mutual Friends.