“The Hugging Dog” of Instagram fame and her owner were left homeless after a fire ravaged their Chelsea apartment in New York City on Monday, the New York Post reported.
It may not have been the most festive Christmas for them but the kindness of others helped soften the blow, with nearly $60,000 in donations pouring in over the past few day, according to the Chelsea Patch.
The fire started while Cesar Fernandez-Chavez was walking the golden retriever, Louboutina. The two returned to nothing.
“I was going to leave Loubie [at home],” said Fernandez-Chavez, per the Post. “If I did that, Louboutina would be gone now.”
According to the Post, Fernandez-Chavez spent that night on a friend’s couch with his dog and has since been taking refuge at an area hotel provided by the Red Cross.
A GoFundMe account was set up in an effort to raise funds for the man and his beloved dog, who has 189,000 Instagram followers, and as of Wednesday morning over 1,200 people had donated close to $60,000 to the cause, Chelsea Patch said.
One Pittsburgh resident, Jennifer Fritz, contributed a hefty $10,000 to the cause.
“I just thought it sounded like the most awful thing in the world,” said Fritz, according to the New York Daily News. “This poor guy and his sweet dog — I just can’t imagine.”
Fernandez-Chavez expressed his gratitude on Instagram.
"It's been a very hard day for us. Pretty much, I feel number after what happened, and we lost everything," he said in an Instagram post with Loubie, according to Chelsea Patch.
"But on the other hand, reading your comments, your messages, it's been amazing; your support, your love towards Loubie and and towards me."
He also directly thanked Fritz, saying, "I don't think we ever met but we would love to meet you one day."
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