This year, students at Cecyte Nuevo León, a junior high school in Mexico, have been enjoying the daily visit of a new, furry friend. Each day, without fail, a local dog arrives to hang out with the students during their breaks.
“When the recess bell rings, he comes running to play with the students,” Lydia Sanchez, the school principal, shared in a post.
While the students love having the dog around, his idea of fun sometimes comes with a bit of a cost. The dog, who is thought to live with a family near the school, loves nothing more than chasing and catching soccer balls that the students kick for him. However, his enthusiasm often leads to him popping every ball he plays with.
“We can’t even count the number of balls he’s popped,” Principal Sanchez told The Dodo.
Usually, this doesn’t cause much trouble, but recently, the students realized they had just one ball left that hadn’t been destroyed. To protect the remaining ball, they decided to close the gate to the playground and keep the dog out until they could get more balls.
The dog, perhaps sensing the reason for the closed gate, left the grounds, looking dejected. But he returned soon after, with a heartfelt peace offering: his own ball, though it was already deflated.
“Seeing him come back with his ball to play filled me with emotion,” Sanchez said. “He is extremely intelligent.”
Thanks to the dog’s thoughtful gesture, the school was able to renew its stock of soccer balls, ensuring both the students and their four-legged friend were happy once again.
As Principal Sanchez put it, “He’ll always be welcome here.”