‘Heart of gold’: Homeless man goes viral after celebrating dogs’ birthday

Lighting some candles, the man is then heard singing “Happy Birthday” to his dogs and showering them with kisses. And if wasn’t already heartwarming enough, the man identified as Choco is then seen serving his dogs a piece of the cake each before tasting it himself.

 

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A post shared by Rótelo, parche comunicativo (@roteloperiodismo)

Rótelo, a journalist who first posted the video, said the man lives on the street of the Cabecera neighbourhood in Barranquilla, Bucaramanga. Despite being homeless, the man is known for taking care of his dogs and is often seen with his furry friends.

As the video went viral, many approached him and showered with love and some generous gifts. Residents have dropped by at a meeting spot in San Pío Park and donated several things for the man and his dogs.

 

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A post shared by Rótelo, parche comunicativo (@roteloperiodismo)

“Thanks to the help of some people who approached him and even gave him the possibility to give him a phone number and open one new Instagram account (he already had one, but did not remember his access data),” according to Televisa News.

Later in an Instagram Live session, Choco, whose real name is José Luis Matos, revealed he is originally from the municipality of El Peñón.

He said the birthday party was to celebrate his dog Shaggy’s—the black one in the video—fourth birthday. His other dog, Nena, has been with him for 10 years and his birthday is in November.

Answering questions from people who joined his Instagram live, he said physical abuse forced him to leave home and start living on the street.

 

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A post shared by Choco José Luis Matos (@joseluis.matos.7906)

He also shared his dream to pursue music and open an animal shelter. He is now using his Instagram space to publicise his phone number along with details of his PayPal account for those who want to contact him to help him.