Some dogs beg for treats. This clever pup pays for his.

While some pups might resort to begging for treats, this proud dog insists on paying for his own meals.

 

Although, it does help that his form of currency literally grows on trees.

Negro the dog is the furry campus resident of the Diversified Technical Education Institute of Monterrey Casanare in Colombia. For the last five years, he has been a watchful companion to all of the students throughout their studies. In exchange for his presence, the faculty provides him with food, love, and a safe place to sleep.

Early on in Negro’s tenure at the school, he came to be aware of the little store on campus where students gather to buy things on their breaks; sometimes they’d buy him cookies sold there.

This, evidently, is where the dog first learned about commerce — and decided to try it out himself.

“He would go to the store and watch the children give money and receive something in exchange,” teacher Angela Garcia Bernal told The Dodo. “Then one day, spontaneous, he appeared with a leaf in his mouth, wagging his tail and letting it be known that he wanted a cookie.”

Incredible as it is, the clever dog has been doing this for years now. Staff have made sure he’s only getting treats safe for dogs to eat, and they do limit his purchases to just a couple a day (to stave off inflation in both the leafy currency and his waistline).

But it’s still a remarkable thing to behold.

“When you first see it, you almost want to cry,” Bernal said. “He’s found a way to make himself understood. He’s very intelligent.”