It seemed like Bear had given up. Then, he got the news that saved his life — and it came in the nick of time.

Potential adopters passed over the 11-year-old dog every day since he arrived at the BARC Animal Shelter in June, and it began to take a toll. The sweet senior stopped raising his head from his bed — it was as if he’d lost hope and knew the clock was ticking.

“He was one of 28 lives to be euthanized that day,” Madeline Garvis, BARC volunteer, told The Dodo. “It’s unreal that a dog like him made it onto the euth list. His personality is perfect, and I mean truly — he’s so calm and friendly.”

Surprisingly, Bear’s demeanor changed entirely when Garvis took him out of his kennel.

“We found a dog who suddenly knew how to shake, who loved being outside and who loved love,” Garvis said.

Watch Bear completely transform after leaving his kennel here:

“We have such little opportunity to meet the dogs and see how they act outside, which is clearly so much different, as evidenced by Bear,” Garvis said. “Not a bad thing to say about Bear. He’s leashed well, quiet, walked on leash so loose it was practically falling off of him, knew how to sit and shake, and is heartworm negative.”

The very good dog quickly became a favorite. Garvis was determined to find Bear a home before his time at the shelter came to an end.

“Are you kidding me with those eyes?! I love him,” Garvis wrote on Facebook at the time. “Once we got outside he became five years younger!”

Showing off Bear’s true personality outside of the shelter worked. Bear found his forever home one hour before his scheduled euthanasia. Now, the rescue is living the life he’s always wanted, full of hope, love and more time.