A brave police officer heroically rescues a small, adorable puppy from perilous waters. Touched by the experience, the officer decides to adopt the puppy, offering it a safe and loving new home.

As police officers were leaving a call at a Florida home this week, they heard something that stopped them in their tracks.

A faint whimpering.

As the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office recounted , deputies followed that cry to a septic drain in an empty lot.

At the bottom of that drain?

A sopping wet puppy, unable to climb back out.

It didn’t take them long to haul the tired, terrified dog from the drain.

After giving him a bath – well, several baths – and trying to find his owner without luck, Officer James Gettings decided their meeting was more than a coincidence.

Fate had brought them together. And together they would stay.

Today, he rules the bed…

… lords over the shoes.