Cora was rescued from her previous family several years ago, a few months before her 8th birthday. She had given birth to countless litters throughout her lifetime, and her final litter only produced one healthy puppy. She had so many health issues and had never truly known what it was like to be loved — but with all the love she has to give, no one would ever know it.

Madison Palm originally planned to only foster Cora, but ended up deciding to adopt her after she realized there was no way she would ever be able to let the sweet little dog go. Despite everything she’s been through, Cora is so excited to meet every single person she comes across, and has such an incredible nature that her mom decided to get her trained as a therapy dog.

“Cora’s personality is so amazing; she is a lover,” Palm told The Dodo. “She is always right next to me and always keeps a close eye if she’s not. If I’m not available she’ll pick the next closest lap to sit on and nudges your hand unless you are petting her at all times. She is SO sweet and that is usually the first thing people say about her. Her gentle and kind nature never goes unnoticed.”

The sweet corgi loves to walk up to strangers when she’s out and about, just to say hello. So when she and her mom were traveling and ended up stuck in an airport recently, she figured Cora wouldn’t mind as long as there were lots of new people to meet — and as it turns out, there was a passenger that day who needed Cora’s love more than anything.

“Cora just kind of walked around in our little seating area and said hi to everyone who was walking by and sitting near us,” Palm said. “She was taking a snooze so I let go of her leash briefly while I relaxed and had a snack; that is when she woke up and snuck over to him. Before I could even call her she was already at his feet being loved on.”

Palm watched from afar, worried that Cora might be bothering the weary traveler — but when she asked him about it, he made it very clear that Cora wasn’t bothering him in the least.

“I asked him if she was bothering him and with a somber face and watery eyes he said, ‘No, no; I lost my dog last night.’ He scratched behind her ears, patted her on the back and was whispering how cute she was. He took out his phone to snap a photo and she sat directly in front of him facing him and staying perfectly still for it.”

Somehow, Cora seemed to know that the man in the airport that day needed her love most of all. Despite being unloved most of her life, Cora has a gift for love and compassion, and was able to bring the man a little comfort after losing his own furry friend.

“She knows who is hurting and she knows who needs her. I’ve never questioned that,” Palm said. “I am blown away by her on a daily basis. Who knew a dog who was unloved for seven and a half years could have so much love to give?