Homeless man who escaped abusive household throws a birthday party to dogs to make them feel special
Pets provide their owners with a lot of emotional support and stability. To show his appreciation, a homeless man was seen on the steps of a local park in Bucaramanga, Colombia throwing his two dogs a birthday party.
Choko José Luis Matos got birthday caps and a cake for his two dogs, Shaggy and Nena. He lit the candles and sang Happy Birthday to them. A bystander was witnessing this beautiful moment and approached the man to ask about his life, as per My Modern Met. Matos had spent many years homeless after fleeing an abusive household. Despite the enormous problems he had encountered, he had always made sure that his dogs got the best care that he could offer.
He was mistreated by his family and decided to leave home to live on his own. He said, "Despite the mistreatment that my mother gave me, I love her and think about her every day, because I learned to fend for myself. Thanks to her I learned to wash the dishes, to sweep, to work." He went to many cities before arriving in Bucaramanga where he got a job as a fisherman. He took up many jobs over the years working as a builder and glass cleaner.
The man who approached Matos recorded this birthday party on camera. He posted the video online and it went viral with thousands of people overwhelmed with the love Matos has for Shaggy and Nena. It also led people to the aid of Matos and several animal lovers donated him supplies. Someone also donated a phone which changed everything for Matos. He started posting videos online and got immense support from Instagram. He amassed more than 183,000 followers in a short time.
According to his Instagram, he and his dogs now have a roof over their head. They are doing great and Matos shares beautiful pictures and videos of his furry friends. The man known as 'Choco' among his friends talked about his journey with Semana, per Paris Beacon News. He said, "I was bored because my dog was having a birthday, and I wanted to give him a chicken quarter as a gift, but I didn’t have one for that. But I saw a lady who was going to throw away a cake and I told her to give it to me. She handed it over to me saying: ‘Here, mijo, you take better advantage of it than I do.' "
He further said, "Thanks to the person who recorded me because it changed my life and I hope to be able to make foundations for animals around the world." He talked very affectionately about his dogs, "La Nena arrived at a time when I had no hope. I met her in a park (…) there she changed my life." He rescued his dog Shaggy from a neighbor four years later. He further said, "They are my family, my love, my castle. Dog food first, before mine."