It was puppy love at first sight.

A golden retriever rescued from Istanbul had never let anyone touch his belly before, but he rolled over immediately when he first met his new American family – eager for human touch.

Hero is one of the first of 36 stray ‘goldens' that have been rescued from the streets of Turkey's largest city, and flown 5,000 miles to Atlanta, Georgia, for adoption.

The real hero, though, is Adopt a Golden Atlanta, the nonprofit that orchestrated what it calls the largest international dog rescue in history.

After an American living in Turkey contacted the group, a dog round-up was organized and 36 dogs flown to the United States. Adopt A Golden then provided medical care and rehabilitation to get the dogs ready for adoption.

In the weeks following the airlift, Adopt a Golden rescued another 15 dogs in the Turkish city.

"Rescue dogs make the world's greatest companions. I'm convinced that they know," Chuck Taylor (pictured above with his wife Lisa and their other rescue dog, one-eyed Jack) told USA Today. "There's something really special about rescuing a dog."

(WATCH the video below) Photo: USA Today video – Story Tip: Madison Keiger

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