About 10 years ago, a caramel and white cub appeared on the campus of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), in Rio Grande do Sul.
Since then, Silveira, as he came to be called, never left there.
Silveira grew up surrounded by students, teachers and staff who welcomed him with great affection.
And, like a good veteran, he participated in everything: classes, protests, capoeira circles, group naps, graduation photos… The list goes on.
During this time, Silveira has already earned a bed in the RU hall, an exclusive sofa in the Central Library and even an appointment as Pro-Rector of Canine Affairs .
Despite already being a living legend at UFSM, it was only recently that Silveira conquered Brazil — and for an unusual reason.
A student, recounting her experience with the most famous dog on campus, wrote on social media:
“Last week I saw Silveira (UFSM’s fat dog) for the first time and I was terrified by the size of that animal, my God, what an ugly dog.”
Ugly?! Brazil was in shock and the internet didn’t let it slide.
Within a few days, Silveira’s name was everywhere, accompanied by a flood of declarations of love, memes, tributes, and emotional accounts from those who had experienced an adventure with him.
After all, he may be overweight, but ugly is definitely not the word for our illustrious veteran.
The impact was so great that UFSM’s official Instagram profile published a map for fans showing Silveira’s official route around campus.
Like any good college student, he has his favorite spots, especially those where there’s food, shade, or people to pet.
But Silveira’s story also sheds light on an important reality: the many animals that live in universities because they were abandoned.
At UFSM itself, there is the Zelo Project, which currently cares for more than 85 dogs and cats that live on campus.
All are neutered, monitored and receive daily care, thanks to the dedication of volunteers and donations from the community.
Silveira is one of the project’s beneficiaries — and, despite being a university icon, he is also looking for a home .
Age has arrived, along with some health problems, and the time for the long-awaited ‘retirement’ seems to have arrived.
According to UFSM, the ideal situation now would be for him to be able to live the next few years in a peaceful, safe and loving environment.
On social media, some people expressed concern: would he adapt to a home after so much time enjoying university life?
But a teacher’s testimony shows that it does:
“I’m a professor at IFRS Campus Rio Grande. In 2019, I adopted a dog that had lived on our campus for about 8 years.”
She says she even thought he would miss the routine, but it only took two days for him to fully adapt to the perks.
“Don’t fall for the fallacy that they’ll get depressed in a house. What they need most is a loving family and a dignified old age,” he added.
The truth is that every dog ​​deserves a home to call their own, including Silveira.
