On Christmas Day last year, David Loop was driving on a freeway in Rubidoux, California, when he saw a mysterious black lump near an exit ramp. As the founder of Sierra Pacific Furbabies, Loop immediately feared that the black lump could be an animal in need of help. He slammed on the breaks, and his worries were instantly confirmed.

The animal was a dog who’d just been hit by a car — and he wasn’t moving.

“I thought he was deceased …” Loop wrote in an Instagram Reel. “But then he took a breath.”

The black Lab mix, later named Shiloh, picked his head up when Loop approached, and he growled in defense. Shiloh was injured and scared, but Loop refused to give up on him. The rescuer showered Shiloh in loving affirmations as he called his team for backup.

Loop’s rescue team arrived moments later and carefully transferred the dog to a comfy bed of blankets in the back of his truck. Shiloh calmed down by the time he was in the truck, and his new best friend, Loop, cuddled the sweet boy on the way to the emergency vet.

Shiloh made a new group of friends when he arrived at the vet clinic. A full checkup confirmed that Shiloh didn’t have any broken bones, but he still wasn’t moving his back legs.

“The prognosis was not good,” Loop wrote on Instagram. “He had head trauma and complete paralysis.”

Luckily, Shiloh had a dedicated vet team taking care of him around the clock. Within five days, Shiloh started responding to pain in his back legs and was even attempting to stand on his own. The resilient guy still had a long road ahead of him, but he was strong enough to continue his recovery at Loop’s house.

Nearly a week after his rescue, Loop picked Shiloh up from the vet and took him home, where a family of humans and pets was waiting to shower him with love. They still weren’t sure if he’d ever walk again, but they did everything they could to heal him.

“We hand-fed him so he could regain his strength,” Loop wrote. “He was the best patient ever!”

Shiloh underwent a series of remedies, from water therapy to laser treatments. But one thing, in particular, seemed to have the biggest impact on his improvement: the love he received from Loop’s family.

Days passed, and his humans celebrated when he finally wagged his tail for the first time. Weeks later, they watched tearfully as Shiloh started trying to sit up on his own.

“He’s an amazing little doggy [who] has a strong desire to live,” Loop wrote on Instagram. “He’s another miracle baby.”

You can watch his transformation here:

Shiloh soon regained the ability to walk — and, eventually, run again. Finally, he was able to play with the other dogs in his community — and he hasn’t stopped running since.

A month after his rescue, Shiloh leapt into the arms of his new adoptive mom, ready to start another exciting chapter. Between a box full of toys and a doggy sibling who loves tug-of-war just as much as he does, Shiloh couldn’t be happier in his new forever home.

Loop has continued to rescue animals in need since Shiloh, including another black Lab mix hit by a car named Nueva. The rescuer’s work is not easy, but seeing dogs like Shiloh get their happily-ever-after inspires him to keep going.

“[He’s] our Christmas miracle,” Loop wrote on Instagram.