Two year old Joshua and his yellow labrador Toby are inseparable best friends. Joshua’s dad created this video to celebrate their bond, and the original low quality video went instantly viral, and has almost 7 million views on youtube. The bond between this sweet boy and his gentle dog may just make you a little misty-eyed, it’s that sweet.

Three years after this heartwarming video, Joshua decided to celebrate his birthday in a unique way. For Joshua’s fifth birthday, he asked for no presents for himself, but instead, for friends and family members to donate money to his local dog rescue, the Animal Protective Association of Missouri. Joshua raised a jaw-dropping $400 to help the dogs at APA, and had a wonderful tie.

In return for his generous gift, the APA invited Joshua to come to the shelter to meet some of the dogs his donation would be benefitting. We can’t wait to see the next installment of Joshua’s story— he’s sure to be a dog lover for life!

Three years later