On May 21, 2003 Jim found Destin peeking out from under this garbage dumpster near his work in Nashville, Tennessee.

He decided to try to "rescue" this sickly puppy, but Destin put up a fight -- clawing and biting at Jim's arms and fingers.

Jim hung tough and managed to pull Destin out by his fur. He finally calmed down in Jim's arms and Jim headed right to the vet with Destin in the car.

The vet estimated him to be about 8-weeks of age and said he's part Black Lab, part Golden Retriever. (They also thought he looked part Bernese Mountain Dog, but the odds of one of those being a "mutt" on the wrong side of town, were quite slim.)