CARLISLE, Pa. (WHTM) — This is a tale (tail) of when man met man’s best friend.

Things could have taken a turn for the worse for pup Koda last Thursday, but when Carlisle Police says “protect and serve” they mean it.

“He’s just a good boy,” said Cpl. Josh Mulhollan, Carlisle Police Department.

Good boy Koda was not having a good day when he was rescued from a dumpster last Thursday. When Carlisle police arrived on scene, they were shocked.

“The dumpster was like a commercial grade dumpster. One that was top-loading, so for his height, there’s no way he could have jumped in there,” Cpl. Mulhollan said.

Koda was shaking from the cold, malnourished, missing patches of hair from stress, and was sick from eating trash while in the dumpster.

The policy is to call the Humane Society.

“Frankly, it broke my heart to do that. So, I felt the need to start making phone calls to maybe take him home,” Cpl. Mulhollan said.

One of those calls was rightfully to his wife, Kristen.

“My response was, ‘I will be so mad at you if you don’t bring him home,’ because he was so cute,” Kristen said.

“He kept looking up at me with these eyes and I couldn’t say no. He got me,” Cpl. Mulhollan said.

So, they took him in. It’s almost been a week, but Koda is thriving in his new home.

“It’s like he’s been part of our family forever,” Kristen said.

“He’s very friendly. He likes to run and play, very cuddly,” Cpl. Mulhollan said.

Although, Koda still shies away from snow and the outdoors — reminders of his brutal beginnings.

“If that’s the way that he found his way to us, I’m very grateful for that, but if someone is struggling there are so many resources out there,” Kristen said.

The vet estimates Koda is 11 months old. We’re estimating that he has a lifetime of happiness ahead.

“When you can do right, you do right. So, taking the dog was the right thing to do,” Cpl. Mulhollan said.