Meet Louboutina, the Friendliest Dog Giving Out Hugs Around New York City

We’ve heard of the Free Hugs Project, but one golden retriever is taking its own initiative and people can’t get enough.

Meet Louboutina, a dog that is blowing up on social media for her warm and friendly hugs all around New York City. In her pictures she is posing with her paws wrapped around strangers, giving them a nice embrace.

“She’s just a love hug,” Louboutina’s owner Cesar Fernandez-Chavez shared with Today. “She loves people and she likes to please people.”

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Fernandez-Chavez has known Louboutina since she was a puppy. The adorable dog was a gift from a friend who had a passion for Christian Louboutin’s shoes. That’s where Fernandez-Chavez got the idea for his dog’s name.

Louboutina didn’t start hugging people until she could stand on her own two legs, just about two-and-a-half years ago.

“We were walking and she stopped and started shaking [my hand] and she put a lot of strength on the grip and I held her paw and then suddenly she sat up,” Fernandez-Chavez explained. “I was like, ‘OK, this is weird,’ but I let her do that and she was there for a good two minutes before she went down.”

“I’m a gay, single man, so at least I have someone to hold hands with,” he joked.

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The first hug happened a week before Valentine’s Day back in 2014.

The hugging soon became routine and the dog started to do it every time the pair took a walk.

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“I’m a hugger,” said Fernandez-Chavez. “When she was little, I would hug her like a person. I would kneel on the floor and hug her and she would put her paws on my shoulders. So maybe she picked that up.”

Fernandez-Chavez and Louboutina are now often stopped on their walks from people who recognize the dog and want a hug.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BE1GJlbQYRl/?taken-by=louboutinanyc

“Sometimes she’s hugging me and I can hear the camera from behind and there are a lot of people taking pictures,” Fernandez-Chavez shared.

Fernandez-Chavez hopes that the pictures will be big enough to get some celebrity’s attention.

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“I hope one day we hear from Ellen DeGeneres,” he said. “That’s my dream!”

You can follow Louboutina on Instagram here.

(H/T Today)