Sabrina PlannererThis pup isn’t your typical petrol station employee, but he’s certainly the most popular.
Introducing Negão, the Labrador whose story is a real life real rags to riches tale.
When Sabrina Plannerer and her husband, Fernando Bonelli Braga, purchased a Shell gas station in Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, they got a little more than they paid for.
Sabrina PlannererSpeaking to UNILAD, Sabrina explained that the site was still under construction when they moved in.
Roaming amid the rubble, Sabrina came across a dog who had been abandoned by his owner.
Sabrina told us that he was riddled with fleas and ticks. But rather than take him to the pound or shoo him away, Sabrina promptly took the dog under her wing, naming the canine Negão.
FacebookSabrina told UNILAD:
We were very worried and afraid that when we opened to the public, he might run away or scare customers.
But we had no doubts! We decide to adopt him at once, and give him all the care and support an animal needs.
We took him to the vet, we made sure he’d been wormed and received his vaccinations ad blood tests. We bought a beautiful little house for him, a leash, clothes…everything he needed.
Sabrina PlannererAfter Sabrina welcomed Negão into her family, she also welcomed him onto her workforce as the garage’s canine greeter.
She explained:
When we opened, it was amazing! He did not leave us once. He never wanted to escape into the road, and he stayed at the door waiting and guarding us. Negão waits for people to arrive, and then goes up to say hello, winning them over with his charms. Customers love him. Some people even bring him toys.
Negão, who Sabrina describes as a ‘very loving dog’, is now getting all the care and attention he needs, as well as regular exercise and a whole town full of new friends.
Sabrina PlannererNegão, proudly donning his new uniform, has become a poster-pup for a local initiative which aims to give every abandoned dog a new home – conventional or not.
Grupo FERA endeavour to pair dogs with local business owners that can care for animals, ‘encouraging people to have more respect for animals’.
A spokesperson from Grupo FERA explained the match-making system works because ‘workers enjoy having the companionship of a 4-legged colleague’.
Sabrina PlannererUndoubtedly I’d be quicker to roll out of bed on a Friday morning if Negão was waiting for me in the office.
Meanwhile, Sabrina told us that she loves animals and plans to adopt more, including other abandoned kittens and dogs – so Negão can eagerly await having some more canine pals to keep him company on the job.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.