In search of a reunion or to simply pay respects, a loyal Italian dog keeps visiting the site he last saw his former caretaker.
Prior to her death in November, Maria Margherita Lochi would go to church every day with her 7-year-old German Shepherd, the Daily Mail reported. According to the Telegraph, the dog, Ciccio, still turns up to the Santa Maria Assunta church in the village of San Donaci in Puglia.
The place of worship held Lochi's funeral, during which Ciccio followed the coffin as it was carried inside. Now, he's a daily visitor.
"He's there every time I celebrate mass and is very well behaved," Father Donato Panna told the Daily Mail. "He doesn't make a sound."
According to Sud Italia News, he sits beneath the altar, near the priest.
"His hope is to see his beloved Maria, the person who he accompanied everywhere, even in church," the paper reported.
According to the Daily Mail, Lochi took in several strays, but Ciccio was reportedly her favorite. The dog's routine has made an impact on villagers, who have began giving him food, water and shelter in a covered area outside the church.
It's not the first time dogs have impressed readers with their loyalty, either.
Ciccio would probably get along with Capitan, the dog who sat by the grave of his deceased human friend for six years.
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