When the temperature drops, most people can escape the cold in the warmth of their homes. Stray animals, however, have nowhere to escape and are forced to brave the elements.

Recently, Turkey has been experiencing extremely cold weather, and during a snowstorm one evening, a local man from the city of Giresun spotted a freezing stray dog and knew he had to do something to help. The selfless mystery man slowly approached the cold dog, gave it some food, and then took off his coat and carefully draped it over the animal.

The next day, a store owner was reviewing footage from the security camera and spotted the heartwarming act of kindness. He then posted the video, which quickly spread online, and eventually helped identify the kind man, a municipal worker named Bülent Kalpakçıoğlu.

“If I did not give my jacket, it would have eaten at my conscience. While we are sitting warm at home, they are outside in the cold,” said Kalpakçıoğlu, who was then awarded a special certificate by Kerim Aksu, the city’s mayor. “With this action, he gave a lesson in humanity,” Aksu said. “Animals are our friends. We love people, we love our city, we love all living things that are an integral part of us and our city.”

Watch the entire video below to see the touching moment this amazing man gave a stray dog the coat off his back.

What would you do if you saw a stray dog suffering in the cold? Let us know what you think in the comments below and please SHARE this with friends on Facebook.

[Featured image: Facebook/Tuna Öztunç]