The sweetest adoption stories can sometimes come from places you'd least expect. While we think of most adopted animals going to singular families, there are other environments that can provide the same amount of love with an extra dash of cuteness.
Which is exactly what happened when little Carmelo was adopted by a Franciscan monastery in Bolivia, who deemed him their newest friar.
Said member comes in the form of a small dog the monastery adopted by the name of Carmelo.
Donning his Franciscan habit and performing such important duties as being adorable and having fun, he's already a well-loved member of the team.
"His life is all about playing and running," Friar Jorge Fernandez, said in an interview with The Dodo. "Here, all of the brothers love him very much. He is a creature of God."
That was until they teamed up with a local animal rescue group, Proyecto Narices Frías, or the Cold Nose Project, who are hoping other churches will follow in their lead.
In a post on Facebook, they wrote, "If only all the churches of our country adopt a dog and care for him like Friar Bigotón, we are sure that the parishioners would follow his example."
Knowing he has a forever home among people who truly care about him is just about as heart-warming as it gets. Congratulations to him and to the monastery who gets to raise him!
h/t: The Dodo
