Louboutina, a six-year-old Golden Retriever from New York City, is famous. For hugging people. She hugs all sorts, from her owner, Cesar Fernandez-Chavez, to complete strangers, and even to celebrities like Gerard Butler.
Fernandez-Chavez, who came to NYC from Lima, Peru 17 years ago and works at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in its Program of Languages and Interpreter Services, got Louboutina in 2011 from his friend Daphne. Daphne had a penchant for Christian Louboutin shoes, which she was wearing when they met. Hence Louboutina's name.
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Fernandez-Chavez says that he used to hug Louboutina when she was a puppy. But her hugging behavior evolved about three and a half years ago out of her love of shaking hands.
Fernandez-Chavez says that one day, shortly before Valentine's Day, she asked to shake hands while they were waiting at a crosswalk, then stood up and hugged him for two minutes.
Since then, the friendly pup has hugged all sorts of people.
She has become a celebrity in their neighborhood of Chelsea.
Many people like to hug her on her frequent walks with her owner and also take pictures of her with him, or other people hugging her.
She's even had her own Instagram account since February 2014.
Fernandez-Chavez says that Louboutina enjoys hugging people, probably for the physical contact. He says that the humans she hugs also feel better in return.
So, he's since had her trained as a therapy dog, for visiting hospitals and senior centers. Fernandez-Chavez, who is gay, wants especially to focus on helping LGBT seniors.
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He hopes that Louboutina will continue to hug many people for years to come.
