Posted in: Animal News Posted: September 13, 2012

Dog Guards Deceased Owner’s Grave For Six Years

An incredibly dedicated dog refused to leave his master’s side, even when the man passed away six years ago. Since his owner’s death, Captain has refused to leave the man’s grave.

Captain, a German shepherd, ran away from home shortly after his owner, Miguel Guzman, died in 2006, reports The Daily Mail. When the family went to pay their respects a week later, they fount the heartbroken dog sitting by his owner’s grave, wailing in mourning.

Since then, the loyal dog has rarely left Guzman’s resting place in Villa Carlos Paz, central Argentina. Miguel Guzman bought Captain as a present for Damian, his 13-year-old son, in 2005. Miguel passed away suddenly just one year later, and, by the time the family returned from the funeral, the dog was missing.

Guzman’s widow, Veronica, stated that:

“We searched for him but he had vanished. We thought he must have got run over and died. The following Sunday we went to the cemetery and Damian recognized his pet. Capitan came up to us, barking and wailing, as if he were crying.”

Yahoo! News notes that the family never showed Captain how to find the cemetery, so it remains a mystery how the dog discovered his dead owner’s grave. Hector Baccega, the cemetery’s director, stated that he and his staff have started to feed and take care of Captain. Baccega recalled that:

“He turned up here one day, all on his own, and started wandering all around the cemetery until he eventually found the tomb of his master. During the day he sometimes has a walk around the cemetery, but always rushes back to the grave. And every day, at six o’clock sharp, he lies down on top of the grave, stays there all night.”

Damian Guzman added that his family hasn’t simply abandoned Captain, even trying to bring the dog back home several times. But Captain always returns to the cemetery before dark on his own. Damian added that, “I think he’s going to be there until he dies, too. He’s looking after my dad.”