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After tragically losing his dog in a hit and run incident, Tullahoma resident Trevor Mattasits was given a new canine companion and gained a new human friend in Tullahoma police officer Tyler Jones.

Mattasits previously owned a German Shepherd by the name of Sampson, a constant companion of his, according to his mother, Korie Marcel.

“Trevor and Sampson were inseparable,” said Marcel. “Sampson went everywhere with him. He frequently visited the dog park, where he met a lady needing work done at her house here in Tullahoma. Trevor is always ready to lend a helping hand to someone in need.”

It was while doing this home improvement work that Sampson escaped and made his way toward the road, where he was struck by a truck. The driver did not stop after hitting Sampson, leading Mattasits to call the police.

Jones responded to this call, and, according to Marcel, offered his comfort and sympathies to Mattasits, as a German Shepherd owner himself. He provided Mattasits with his personal number, as well as sharing that his dog was due to give birth to a litter of puppies within eight weeks, offering Mattasits pick of the litter.

“In the coming months, Trevor spent many days at Tyler’s, becoming familiar with the parents of the puppies and was there right after they were born to see them,” Marcel shared. “As the pups got their personalities, Trevor picked the one he wanted.”

As a huge fan of the Georgia Bulldogs, no name seemed better suited to Mattasits for the new German Shepherd than “Georgia.”

“Police officers have bad reputations sometimes, but Tyler is one of the good ones,” Marcel said. “He’s truly in this line of work to make a positive impact in other’s lives.”