Ajilalo, Gerardo Ortiz’s Peruvian restaurant, had an unexpected client five years ago. It was a stray dog with a hungry expression on her face.
Ortiz had the option of ignoring the dog. He didn’t, though.
That evening, Ortiz offered the dog a free meal, made just for her.
And thus began an adorable tradition that continues to this day.
The hungry dog returned every evening after that, receiving a free supper from Ortiz’s eatery.
It didn’t take long for word of Ortiz’s generosity and charity to spread throughout the local stray dog population.
With the arrival of that initial guest, other dogs arrived, and Ortiz fed them all.
Every night, a large number of stray dogs arrive at Ortiz’s eatery. Many are frequent “clients,” while others are first-timers, all expecting to be fed by Ortiz’s generosity.
Often, as Ortiz is working, he’ll look up and see a new dog’s face at the front — waiting politely to see if the rumor that free food can be found there is true.
It always is.
“They are the finest clients for me,” Ortiz said to The Dodo.
And his human consumers don’t consider it a slight. They frequently provide food for the visiting dogs, inspired by Ortiz.
“Thankfully, our clients have reacted well to the dogs,” Ortiz said. “They are affectionate toward them.”
In the end, Ortiz’s pleasant ritual of feeding all the stray dogs who come to visit accomplishes more than just keeping them fed. It shows kids that their lives are important, something Ortiz is pleased to demonstrate every day.
“They don’t pay us in cash; they pay us in happiness and wagging tails,” Ortiz explained. “They are appreciative, and we prefer to give rather than receive. I’ve loved animals since I was a youngster. My mother instilled in us the importance of helping others, both humans and animals. She is my motivation.”
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