A dog was given to a Marine veteran by his family as an early Christmas gift. Since he returned to civilian life three years ago,

Peter Coukoulis has experienced PTSD, and his mother Dena thought that getting a dog that could be trained as a therapy animal might help her son.

He is seen in the heartwarming video below helping his family decorate for Christmas while receiving a

gift that has been festively wrapped. The contents of the box are seen through a portion of the lid.

When he lifts the top, a small Beagle puppy leaps up and peeks out, leaving him puzzled as to why his family is giving him a gift so early.

The moment Peter sees the dog, he begins to cry. He carefully picks up his new friend and cuddles her to him before kissing her.

Dena described the moving event by saying, ‘The puppy has already changed Peter’s life; it has made him happy after a very terrible three years.’