Cyclists Stop To Change Flat Tire — Then Realize They're Not Alone

"When he saw me, there was so much joy in him. He jumped for joy."

Popping a bike tire is one of the biggest annoyances of cycling — but sometimes, it can actually save a life.

Just ask Eduardo Reis.

A little over a year ago, Reis was on a training ride with a few friends on a quiet road near his home in Brazil when someone in the crew got a flat. Naturally, they all pulled over so the punctured tire could be fixed.

Little did they realize, however, they were not alone.

Eduardo Reis

There, along the roadside in a place they otherwise never would have stopped, appeared a dog who'd apparently been abandoned. Reis was the first to spot him, and the dog couldn't have been happier to finally be found.

"When he saw me, there was so much joy in him," Reis wrote. "He jumped for joy."

Here's video of what happened next:

Rather than leave the dog to fend for himself as a struggling stray, the cyclists welcomed him into their group.

After the tire was mended, they continued on their way together — Reis clutching the lucky pup in his arms the whole way.

He'd been saved, and he knew it.

Eduardo Reis

It was fate, perhaps, that put Reis in the position to help the dog. But it was the kindness in his heart that made him follow through.

Eduardo Reis

Reis went on to foster the dog, whom he named Warrior, until he could find the pup a permanent home. And he followed through with that one, too.

"A rich family adopted him," Reis told The Dodo. "He's doing very well."

And to think, it all began with a flat.