Last Saturday, Mandal was monitoring traffic at a busy seven-way crossing when he received some unexpected company. Two wet stray dogs spotted him standing in the middle of the street and flocked to him.

The compassionate cop offered the two dogs shelter under his large umbrella and continued directing traffic.

A passerby snapped a photo of the small act of kindness and shared it on social media, touching people from around the world. And the look on the dogs’ faces says it all:

With an estimated 35 to 40 million stray dogs in India — one of the highest populations in the world — there’s a long way to go to help these animals. But the Kolkata police try to step in wherever they can when there’s a dog in need of rescue or just a place to rest.

And for the two grateful street dogs, the moment of respite meant the world.