Family pets are sacred but Friar Mustache is holier than most

Carmelo the schnauzer was like many stray dogs when he arrived on the doorstep of a local animal group — alone and in need of someone who might want to care for him.

But now the gray and white dog has found a new home — one perfectly dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

Proyecto Narices Frias, the animal shelter that first took him in, posted last week on Facebook that Carmelo had found a new home at a Franciscan monastery, located in San Francisco, Cochabamba, Bolivia, that had nicknamed him Friar Bigoton, or Friar Mustache in English.

“Let us introduce Friar Bigoton, who’s part of the monastery in San Francisco, Cochabamba, Bolivia,” wrote the rescue group, whose name translates to the Cold Nose Project, on Facebook. “If all the churches of our country adopted just one dog and cared for it like Friar Bigoton, we are sure that the parishioners would follow his excellent example.”

The photos quickly went viral on Facebook, thanks to the photo of Carmelo with his new caretakers in a matching brown habit, Today reported.

One person took photos of the new “friar” bounding down the stone walkways, leaning on its wooden doors and even “preaching” to the fish in the monastery’s pond.

“His life is all about playing and running,” friar Jorge Fernandez told The Dodo. “Here, all of the brothers love him very much. He is a creature of God.”

This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 9:05 AM with the headline "Family pets are sacred but Friar Mustache is holier than most."