Those that attended a church in the town of San Donaci near Brindisi, Italy, enjoyed the wonderful company of a sweet German shepherd dog called Tommy.
The devoted hound showed up at the same church every day for daily mass and the community made sure Tommy was well looked after.
The reason the sweet 7-year-old dog attended the church every day is one that will break your heart.
When Tommy was a pup he was abandoned in fields and left to fend for himself.
But animal lover Maria Margherita Lochi found him and adopted him; the two developed a strong bond.
Returned to the church every day
Seven years after she adopted him, Maria sadly passed away in 2013. But Tommy never got over her; he waited for her to return every day.
The last place Tommy saw his beloved Maria was at the church, when he attended her funeral service. After that, he returned to that church every day when he heard the bells ringing for mass.
Father Donato Panna, the local priest shared Tommy’s story:
“He’s there every time I celebrate Mass and is very well behaved—he doesn’t make a sound, I’ve not heard one bark from him in all the time he has been coming in.”
According to the DailyMail, the devoted hound sat in the church until the service was over. Tommy lost his much-adored owner but at the same time, he got a lot of love from the entire village of San Donanci. After Maria’s passing, all the villagers helped to take care of this special hound. And they all looked forward to seeing him every day at mass.
Sadly, the sweet loyal Tommy “died only a few months after his deceased owner whom he” constantly searched for at the church his owner frequented, according to an Italian magazine.
“Tommy died…of a heart attack in a veterinary clinic in Fasano, after being taken there by Lochi’s son. The vets said that Tommy was suffering from various ailments that were aggravated by old age and the psychological impact of his owner’s death,” they stated.
Every animal deserves a devoted owner. Please share if you too were moved by Tommy and Maria’s beautiful bond.
