Many of us carry scars — whether literal or figurative — from our pasts. As someone who’s especially accident prone, my scars mostly tell the story of how clumsy I am.

But one look at this sweet pup’s face will let you know just how horrible his life was before the amazing people of the Humane Society of the United States gave him a second chance at happiness.

The crew arrived on the scene to find dogs scattered around in chains and shoddy cages.

The 17 somber pups they found had clearly been through a lot.

When they found Sam in his cage, he was understandably hesitant to trust them.

He stayed in the corner of the enclosure until he realized they weren’t there to harm him.

Once they opened the cage, he was happy to accept their affection.

The severe scars left behind by hard-won fights were difficult for the saddened team to look at as they carried him away from his former life.

But the sweetheart was just happy to get some snuggles and finally feel the love he was so desperate to find.

Three love-filled years after his harrowing rescue, this amazing dog passed away on June 8, 2015.