A Brazilian priest is helping stray dogs to get proper care and be loved.
Father João Paulo Araujo Gomes brings the homeless animals to his Sunday service, so they can win the hearts of people and find their forever homes.
The stray dogs usually can be found wandering into the Gravatá church looking for new loving owners.
Father Gomes looks after the pooches at his rectory. He often succeeds in helping them charm the people who visit his Sunday mass.
The poor homeless dogs are taking the main part of the service, so potential future owners can see them and eventually fall in love with them. Just like regular puppies, they sometimes take sweet naps at the alter and love receiving tummy rubs during the mass.
The father’s idea was inspired by a few delicious cookies. Someone at the service gave some sweet cookies to father Gomes. When he left them out during the mass, they were quickly eaten by the people there. So when he came across a dog kennel with 96 dogs, he thought that they can find their forever homes at the church just as fast as the cookies disappeared.
He shared his idea with Metro:
Then I began to bring the dogs to mass, with the same hopes of giving them away.
In six months, I finished this process. All dogs were adopted.
Now I work with street dogs. They sometimes come into the church looking for food and water.
Father Gomes adds that during the Sunday service they often speak about the problems with stray dogs. He teaches people how to respect and protect the homeless animals. He is proud that his church is taking care of these dogs and helps them with finding new loving homes.
The priest’s selfless act has extremely decreased the number of stray dogs living in the city. Father Gomes himself adopted three of the adorable four-legged puppies, and he sometimes even shares his bed with them.
