When Margarita Suarez, from Merida, Mexico, passed away last week, her funeral service was attended by the most unusual mourners – stray dogs.

It’s utterly baffling that the dogs weren’t even from Cuernavaca, the city where Margarita gave her last breath. They were her companions from back home in Merida, where she used to feed them every single day. Photographs showing the dogs lying around the coffin have now gone viral online – receiving over 130,000 likes and 33,000 shares in only four days.

During the last few years of her life, Margarita routinely fed up to 20 stray cats that gathered at her door each morning, and also carried food for the stray dogs she met on the streets. Unfortunately, her health deteriorated at the beginning of this month, forcing her to move to Cuernavaca, where she passed away a few days later.

“My mother lived with me in Merida, Yucatan, but came to my sister’s place in Cuernavaca, to restore her health,” Margarita’s daughter Patricia Urrutia said. “Unfortunately, this was not possible and she left us in less than 10 days.

According to Patricia, the animals began to arrive at the funeral home where her body was being kept. At first the family had thought that the dogs were local to the area, but the funeral home didn’t recognise the animals. They later realised that the dogs had traveled all the way from Merida!

When they arrived at the funeral home, the dogs waited patiently as the body was being prepared. And when Margarita was finally brought in, they all rose as though they were paying her their respects. Later, the dogs returned to their original positions, and remained with the family the whole night, leaving only 20 minutes before the body was taken for cremation the next morning. Patricia said she strongly believes that the dogs were angels who came to bid farewell to their mother in her final moments.

As unbelievable as this display of loyalty may seem, it is not a singular case. In the past, we’ve featured several examples of canine devotion to their human masters. Like Ciccio, the dog that attends Daily Mass at the church where his deceased master used to go, or Capitan, a faithful dog who refused to live the graveside of his master for six years after he died.

Photos: Patricia Urritia

Sources: Norte Digital, Misiones Online