Just a few weeks ago, Scout the fluffy pup was saved from being killed and eaten when he was bought from a vendor at an annual dog meat festival held in the Chinese city of Yulin.

He spent last weekend at a Humane Society gala in Washington, D.C., accompanying his new mom, Leslie Barcus, who sits on the board of the animal welfare group. At the time, he hadn’t even yet been named, but his job was abundantly clear.

“I would really like to make sure he’s an ambassador to the community,” Barcus told the website Animal Issues Reporter. “We could use his help for educational purposes about the plight of street dogs and of dogs used as food — for human consumption — across Asia and other parts of the world.”​