Pet of the week: Meet Caramelo, Brazil’s new national icon going viral

Caramelo dogs are described as a mixed-breed dog from Brazil. The beloved caramel-colored pups are considered to be a national symbol of the country are have grown to be even more popular around the world after many recent viral moments, including a selfie with Bruno Mars that gained a lot of attention. “This represents Brazil more than soccer or samba,” an online user wrote on social media.

The Caramelo craze is such that there is a Netflix film coming about the story of these fan-favorite pups. “The Caramelo ended up becoming the great symbol of Brazil, a symbol for the people,” Diego Freitas, the film’s director and co-writer, said to The Associated Press.

“We value the caramelo in the way we value our country, as it is," Tina Castro, an English teacher in Rio de Janeiro said to the publication. “It comes from a marginal place, like Brazil. It has a history of survival and marginalization." 

Carmelos also have a carnival parade and their appreciation from Brazilians even resulted in a petition with 50,000 signatures that asked to replace the macaw on Brazil’s 10-reais ($1.65) bill. 

The upcoming Netflix documentary is being produced to show viewers around the world the story of Caramelos, as well as the importance of adopting dogs, as the country continues to have a large number of stray dogs.

“It’s a story that I hope is worthy of the dogs, because they are incredible,” the director explained. The film is coming to the streaming platform soon.  “The movie is a big bet for Netflix, a superproduction,” Netflix Brasil’s press office told The Associated Press. “It’s the first Brazilian film with a dog as a protagonist, and it couldn’t be any other than the caramelo, a national icon.”