A rescue dog found a heartwarming way of letting his new family know that they didn’t just adopt him, he “chose” them.

Shelter dogs often have very little time to make an impression on visitors. In 2014, a study published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science saw researchers closely examine 250 different interactions between shelter dogs and visitors. The study found that shelter visitors only tended to interact with one dog per visit and that these interactions lasted an average of just eight minutes.

Fortunately, in the case of Fletcher, it took his new pawrents, Brandon and Talia from Boston, a matter of moments to realize he was the dog for them. “The second we made eye contact with him he started wagging his tail and when we went up to say hello he basically fell into my lap,” Talia told Newsweek.

The couple first met Fletcher during an adoption event organized by his rescue, the Last Hope K9 Rescue, a volunteer and foster-based organization based in Boston. These events offer would-be adopters the chance to not only meet the dogs looking for a home but also their foster carers who answer questions and offer insight on what each rescue pup is like.

“We got to ask Fletcher’s foster mom all different questions about him and his personality,” Brandon said. “The more we got to ask questions about him the more we fell in love because he seemed like he would fit in perfectly with our lifestyle.”

Meeting Fletcher that day felt like fate to both Brandon and Talia. “We actually went to the event interested in another dog but that dog had to leave the event early so we never got to meet them,” Talia said. “But I think that was the universe’s plan all along!”

Brandon and Talia may not have been alone in feeling a sense of serendipity about their encounter that day. A week after the adoption event, the couple drove to his foster carer’s house to take Fletcher home for keeps.

That was the moment when, as Brandon and Talia put it, they realized that Fletcher had been just as drawn to them as they were to him. As they put it in a TikTok video capturing the moment, posted under the handle fletcheroni, they didn’t just adopt Fletcher, he “chose” them.”

“The car ride home was actually about a week later and was directly from his foster parent’s home,” Brandon said. “She had told us he was okay with being in the car, no anxiety or trouble settling down, but shortly after we drove off, it seemed like he just wanted to be with us instead of in the back seat.”

It was a moment of joyous confirmation that the special connection they felt to Fletcher was reciprocated and one they were able to capture on camera, with their new rescue pup pictured sitting up front with them, touching each of their hands with a paw each.

“That was actually right after that he climbed into the passenger seat and sat in my wife’s lap the rest of the 40-minute ride home,” Brandon said. “I think that’s when we realized we had a cuddle bug on our hands and was going to just be a big love. Now we can’t say ‘go for a ride’ without him jumping and spinning in circles.”

Brandon, Talia and Fletcher have been happy together ever since, with Fletcher’s love of car rides matched only by his passion for playing Frisbee. It’s a truly happy ending and one that Talia hopes might inspire others to adopt.

“I feel like a lot of people have reservations about adopting and rescuing but it can be one of the most rewarding things you can do,” she said. “These pups just want love and they give it back tenfold.”