Good Samaritan Helps Reunite Homeless Man and His Dog in Texas

A stranger named Wilma Price gathered money for Patrick to get his dog Franklin back

When Wilma Price saw a homeless man holding a heart-wrenching sign outside of a Huntsville, Texas, Walmart store, she felt compelled to do something.

So, she reached out to the man named Patrick, who was asking for help getting his dog back from the pound.

Price told Inside Edition, who first reported the story that, “he seemed like a nice, gentle soul who just happened to have a hard life,” she recalled. “The look in his eye was desperation; he looked like a big kid who just lost his puppy.”

During a conversation with Patrick she learned it would cost $120 to get his dog Franklin back from the shelter — a price tag that included a rabies shot, heartworm test, flea prevention and a $35 impoundment fee, according to Inside Edition.

So, Price got to work. Along with a hand from her friend Susan, in two and a half hours she helped Patrick cobble together the cash to get Franklin. Now Patrick and his dog are back together, but Price’s goodwill didn’t stop there.

She set up a GoFundMe page to help Patrick even more. “He’s ready to make a new start and he seems to be a very nice man,” Price told PEOPLE in an email. “We’re also accepting donations to help him get back on his feet and get a fresh start in life.”

What compelled her to stop that day and help a stranger she’d never met? “Sometimes just one person would lend a helping hand [and] it would make so much of a difference,” she says. “I’m a firm believer you don’t judge a book by it’s cover until you read that book yourself.”

To visit the GoFundMe page, click here.