According to La Voz, a dog in central Argentina has been keeping watch over his deceased owner’s grave…for the past 6 years.
Miguel Guzman adopted a dog in 2005 for his teenage son Damian. He named the German Shepherd mix Captain.
Shortly after Miguel died in 2006, Captain ran away. Veronica, Miguel’s widow, and Damian searched for the pooch, but feared he perished and thought they’d never see the dog again.
When the two went to the cemetery to pay their respects to Miguel, they found Captain standing by his former owner’s grave. The dog had never been to the cemetery before — he found the site and the specific plot by sense of smell.
“The dog came here alone and circled around the cemetery until [he found] the grave of his owner,” Hector Baccega, director of the municipal cemetery of Villa Carlos Paz, told La Voz. “No one took him up there.
“Every day, at six o’clock, goes and lies down in front of the [grave],” Baccega said.
Captain remains near his owner’s grave most of the time, but occasionally returns home. The cemetery staff feeds and cares for the animal while he’s on site.
Guillermo Bur, a veterinarian in Villa Carlos Paz who’s an expert in German Shepherds, claims the dog tracked his master to the graveyard by scent.
“These dog breeds are trained to trace people who may be trapped 10 meters underground,” Bur said. He also stated that’s why German Shepherds are frequently used to rescue victims of disasters such as earthquakes.
