You don’t have to love animals to get choked up about this story. It happened at the emergency room of Hospital Regional Alto Vale in Brazil when a homeless man named César stopped by because of a chronic health problem.

After seeing what took place during that visit, one of the hospital workers, Cris Mamprim decided they had to share what they saw with the world. He came in at 3 o’clock in the morning because it was the nearest facility but as they were caring for his needs, they noticed something most unusual at the entrance to the hospital.

Four stray dogs were keeping vigil by the front door because their best friend in the world was being helped by the staff at the emergency room. They didn’t budge while they were waiting. César told them that he took care of the dogs and in many cases, would go without eating so that the dogs would have food.

Mamprim noticed that the dogs were quite ‘chubby’ and thought about how selfless he must’ve been for taking care of them, even though he was lacking some of the things that he needed. The workers were seeing a genuine display of loyalty and love that worked in both directions. The staff offered him food and brought the dogs inside the hospital so that they could share the meal.

When César was ready to leave about an hour later, his dogs were following behind him with their tails wagging. I couldn’t imagine a story of love that was more genuine than this.