Golden retrievers are famously friendly. Cesar Fernandez-Chavez of New York City has a golden named Louboutina — in honor of the French fashion designer Christian Louboutin and also known as Loubie. She’s even friendlier than you’d expect a representative of her breed to be. When she was 3½ years old, Cesar taught her to shake hands. That wasn’t enough for this dog and two years later, Loubie had moved on to hugging. “Instead of asking me to do the holding hands thing, she just sat up, very close to my legs, and she’d wrap her legs around my knees. She gets a very good grip.”

Loubie has been in the habit of coming to work with Cesar several times a week. Passersby would see the lovable dog hugging her human dad and think it the most adorable thing ever, and why not? Naturally, they’d take their phones out and snap a photo. Before long, Loubie began hugging some of these people, too! More and more, Cesar’s walks with Loubie covered less and less ground. “We don’t get to go too far.”

During good weather, you might find Loubie and Cesar on bustling Seventh Avenue somewhere near 19th Street. There’s no guarantee you’ll get a hug, but the possibility is definitely in the air. As Cesar explains, “Sometimes people run up and ask for a hug, but I tell them, ‘I don’t think it’s going to happen,’ because she has to bond with that person first. But when she sits next to someone, then I say, ‘You’re probably going to get a hug.’”

Loubie the hugging dog has become a local celebrity. Her fame is growing on the internet, too: the adorable pooch has over 190,000 followers on Instagram.

How do you like this dog’s incredible instinct for hugging people? Let’s hear from you in the comments at Facebook. Be sure to like and share: you may have a friend who could use a golden retriever hug!