Publications
Partners
This was the amazing moment four dogs patiently waited outside the door of a hospital as their owner, a homeless man, was being treated inside.
The images were captured at Alto Vale Regional Hospital at Rio do Sul in Brazil's southern Santa Catarina state.
According to local media, the animals' owner Cezar Goncalves, who is homeless, had gone to the hospital with severe stomach pains, accompanied by his loyal pooches, named Bebe, Nick, Menina, and Tico.
Photos taken from inside the hospital show the dogs standing at the door eagerly waiting to see their owner.
"I've never seen that, with so many animals together like this," said Lucrecia Vendrami, a nurse working at the hospital.
An hour later Cezar, who collects recyclable material for a living, had been treated and given medication before being discharged – and the dogs were still at the door waiting for him.
Cezar told reporters the animals accompany him wherever he goes.
"I start at around 4am as it's a bit cooler. I go out to collect recyclable waste and they come with me. Wherever I go they come with me. Without my little pets I'm nothing," he said.
He adopted Bebe five years ago and since then has taken on the other three dogs.
Local residents say Cezar feeds the animals from the food he's given by the community and that people often also supply him with packets of dog food.
Source: Magazine Features
Pictures: CATERS/WWW.MAGAZINEFEATURES.CO.ZA
