“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.” – Josh Billings
A dog, ‘Leao’, sits for a second consecutive day, next to the grave of her owner, Cristina Maria Cesario Santana, who died in the week’s catastrophic landslides in Brazil, at the cemetery in Teresopolis, near Rio de Janiero, on January 15, 2011.
::sob::
UPDATE: Click here for a link to a photoblog of Leao.
UPDATE 2: Courtesy of commenter DJShay12 (and Google Translate):
The pooch Caramel, now days beside the grave of the lady, Maria Cristina Cesario Santana, who died as a result of heavy rains that hit the mountainous region of Rio last week, won a new home on Sunday. Adopted by a family of Barra da Tijuca, the dog is not the only one to wait for the owner even after his death.
According to veterinary Andrea Lambert, a member of the Special Committee of Animal Protection of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) who rescued Caramel and other animals that were left homeless because of rain, stories like this are very common. – The pet has a lot of loyalty – he explains. – The owner ends up being the reference for everything.
In Edinburgh, Scotland, Skye Terrier Greyfriars Bobby statue got a trophy after spending 14 years guarding his owner’s grave until his own death on January 14, 1872. Similar story to the movie Always by your side (2009), starring Richard Gere, in the the dog Hachiko always going to spend years at the same time a train station waiting for the owner who died.
[via The Daily Dish; Photo by Vanderlei Almeida/AFP/Getty]
geg6
I just saw this at Sully’s place. If that doesn’t bring a tear to the eye, I don’t know what will.
Doggies are the bestest.
JenJen
Well, I haven’t had a good cry in at least 12 hours, so thanks for that. :-(
beltane
Now I feel guilty for yelling at my dog when she kept stepping on my snowshoes this morning. Her intentions were pure and noble.
Kristine
@beltane: Yeah. Now I feel guilty about yelling at my two beasties, too.
I’ve passed the link long, with attribution. Thanks.
JPL
Sob, sob, sob.
Yutsano
ZOMG it’s the reincarnation of Hachiko!! Poor puppeh.
Old Dan and Little Ann
I just got home after a long walk with the hound. That picture is is heart breaking.
General Stuck
Takes something to get me welled up, but this pic and story got the job done. And a lesson in gratitude to boot.
AliceBlue
I was bitching to myself because it’s raining and I had to walk my doggie Bella when I got home from work. I just gave her a treat and a big hug.
freelancer
I saw this and choked up at my desk, and yes, my mind went straight to Fry.
Mike Kay
this wouldn’t have happened if they had prayer in school.
long ago
call me cold-hearted, but i was more moved by the sight of all of those back-hoe scoops, extending in long lines behind.
parallel teeth-marks in the clay.hundreds of scoops, for hundreds of bodies.
human beings are sometimes deserving of a tear as well.
Morbo
@freelancer: Friggin’ retcon.
Drouse
That does it. I’m taking mine outside and lavishing some attention on him. He’s 14(people years)and I just don’t know how much longer he’ll be around. See Ya in a couple hours.
Jager
Dog lover George Carlin (in one of his many monologues about dogs) said “the only thing your dog loves more than you, is any other dog”. I think Carlin would tear up at this picture, too.
Pamela F
That photograph is the most beautiful representation of “connectedness”.
Ash Can
Just a horrible, tragic situation all around. I hope someone steps forward to care for that poor dog. It would be just a little bright spot in a sea of awfulness.
Phyllis
@freelancer: Just thinking about that episode makes me cry.
slag
@long ago:
Yes, but it’s only the ones left behind that need it.
kindness
I blame Mark Lenin. It works for me.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@freelancer: That was my first thought as well.
BGinCHI
Before I read the caption my first thought was “man, that dog is in trouble for digging all those holes.”
Seriously, though, it’s the sight of all those graves…..how many news stories of natural disasters do we see and not get a sense of the devastation. Fucking terrible this world sometimes.
Trainrunner
There was video from these floods where a woman who was being rescued by helicopter had her dog washed out of her arms by the rushing waters.
Maybe someone can put these two together.
freelancer
@Phyllis:
Yeah, but I LOVE the callback in the new season:
“Is this another one of Fry’s dead dogs?”
Too funny, to capitalize on our sentimentality like that.
Mutt Like Me
oh, man *tears*
Jules
Fuck, fuckity fuck.
I have been avoiding this obvious “Jurassic Bark” flash back since I saw Sully’s tweet and had done quite well to pretend it did not exist until I refresh BJ and there it is in all of its sob inducing glory.
and yes, I check each episode of Furturama to make sure it is not the one that made my teenage son cry when we first saw it. I saw it once and will NEVER allow myself to be fooled again.
I should have read the title.
freelancer
@freelancer:
Why am I in mod hell?
mclaren
The dog is starving and waiting to try and dig up its owner to chow down on her when no one’s looking.
Violet
@BGinCHI:
Those graves got me too. The big teeth marks from the diggers. Such a tragedy.
But that doggie. How sad. Good dog. Good dog.
NeenerNeener
Ok, here’s my only complaint about the site upgrade…mclaren doesn’t talk obsessively about pie anymore.
beltane
@freelancer: I thought mod hell had been abolished in our glorious new promised land.
Pigs & Spiders
I will now go home and give my Shiba a hug until he squirms out of my grasp.
freelancer
@beltane:
Nope, just two links (including the reply), and I don’t know what word could have tripped the alarm.
Oh and thanks, ABL, I’m assuming that was you freeing post #24.
PurpleGirl
That is so sad. It’s sad that the woman died, but that the dog is sitting there and waiting for her… oh, ghod. It’s time for a cry.
Jim, Once
Oh, oh, and I’m not even a dog owner (though I would like to be) – husband’s allergic. I used to read this to my freshman students when I was introducing my poetry unit, and told them poetry could be about anything – even diarrheoa. I warned them that I wouldn’t get through it without tearing up:
kdaug
@Trainrunner:
Don’t think that dog’s looking for a new owner.
Jim, Once
@Jim, Once: Blockquote fail, yet again – I am not going to fix it.
kdp
Too sad.
kindness
@beltane: Don’t kid yourself. When the powder is really deep my dogs will walk on the back of your snowshoes every time. They’re just being lazy letting us cut the trail. If only I could teach them to stay off the snowshoes though, it’d be much easier for me.
Elizabelle
@Jim, Once:
If memory serves, Andrew Sullivan posted that poem several years ago. Or something similar.
Masterful poem by Updike. Exquisitely painful to read. Although, perhaps, a fitting memorial. She didn’t get to be in this world long, so Updike gave her life with syllables and ink.
Sapristi!
Tadinho do Leão!
Just to tie up a loose end, Leäo has been taken in by the wonderful people at the rescue group Estimação ( http://www.estimacao.org )
WaterGirl
@NeenerNeener: Cleek updated his pie filter, just go get it at his website and all will be good again.
iriepirate21
I think the photo just proves dogs are stupid.
Cats FTW.
eco2geek
That’s very sad. Yutsano beat me to it, but it also reminds me of the story of Hachiko. I hope someone feeds him or her.
ETA: Nice update. Love the Google translation of the article’s title: “Dog that guarded the tomb owner is adopted.”
Death Panel Truck
@iriepirate21: Dogs are loyal. Cats don’t give a fuck if you live or you die. Ungrateful bastards.
NeenerNeener
@WaterGirl: Thanks! I’m off to look for it now. I find some people are just unbearable without pie.
Death Panel Truck
Great. Don’t have permission to edit my own comment. WTF?
Steller
Thank you for posting the updates on the dog’s fate. I was all verklempt after seeing that picture and the caption at Sully’s site this morning. Such a heartrenching snapshot of loneliness and loss.
Richard Fox
When my dad died his cat moped around for days, and was in serious mourning with my mom. Never curled up to her before, but after his death she stayed with mom day and night. They express it differently, I suspect, but cats feel the loss too. At least that’s what I have seen. Whether I am right or not, who knows.. but that’s my take.
SteveinSC
We’ve got three pound puppies and our attachment to them is probably neurotic, so forgive me for reposting this. From someone commenting about the people in New Orleans forced to leave their dogs (and cats, I suppose) after Katrina: “Nobody better try to take my friend from me. He’s a dead mother-fucker. Bank on it!”
quaint irene
Jesus, Jim. Thanks for making me completely break down.
**********
The old RCA logo. Of the dog listening to the old victrola with the slogan ‘His Master’s Voice,”
In a larger view of the painting, the dog and gramaphone are sitting on the guy’s coffin.
Luci
It certainly is tear inducing! I had to wait a bit before posting, as I could not see what I was typing.
@Sapristi! Thanks so much for letting us know the dog is being cared for. What a relief!
I hope everyone’s having a nice afternoon/evening. :)
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
Caramel is the name of my oldest dog. For the same reason, I bet.
SteveinSC
I spoke too soon. This website is fucked up again. Can’t any of the goddamned cheetos eating, yellow-fingered overweight, mom and dad’s cellar dwelling dicks that put this site together do a fucking professional job?
Comrade Mary
@Jim, Once: Made me cry AGAIN — so not, not a fail.
Fucking Updike.
WaterGirl
@SteveinSC: Seems like a comment like that should get a person banned.
Edit: Would love to see how you treat waitresses and sales people.
feebog
I had a real life lesson in dog loyalty this morning. Our neighbor Myrna across the street died a couple years ago. She left a dalmatian mix behind. Not to worry though, the lady next door was her caretaker and inherited the house, so no problem, she is taking care of the dog. Today, as I went to collect trashcans from the curb, I noticed the dalmatian, whose name is Murphy, was out loose. I sat at the curb and coaxed him over to me. He let me pet him and then walked back with me to his house. The gate was open, but he went right in and I closed it behind him. About then, Gladys, the former caretaker came rushing from next door. She was very concerned that Murphy had gotten out. I explained what happened and she thanked me profusely. I mentioned that I never saw Murphy in her yard, even though I know the back yards are not fenced. Gladys told me that Murphy never comes in her yard, he stays at Myrnas house, usually at the front door, patiently waiting for his owner to come back to him. Don’t really know what to do about this, I doubt my alpha Golden/Chow mix would take kindly to a new dog.
trollhattan
@Jim, Once:
Oh boy, that’s not easy to read. RIP John Updike, you’re missed. Time to walk the dog, I think.
JBerardi
@freelancer:
Glad I’m not the only one who got it, and kudos for ABL for such a great reference. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go cry.
John O
*sniff/choke/sob*
Dogs are simply unbelievable.
Kevin Fairchild
Reading the Updike poem, I lost it.
We had Amelia (husky/shepherd mix) for nearly 12 years. Early in December, she started showing signs of illness. On the 23rd, she stopped walking. We took her to the vet, and they gave us some pain medicine to try. All throughout Christmas Eve and Day, we were carrying her out to the back yard and holding her so she could relieve herself. She was in such pain but still trying to get up and take care of herself. Late on the night of the 24th, she had diarrhea laying down where she was, twice. We cleaned it up and tried to calm her. Early in the morning on the 25th, I heard something and got up to see the saddest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. The dog that was in too much pain to walk had dragged herself to the doggie door, but just couldn’t go one inch further. I found her with her head lying out the door, diarrhea all over the floor, and whimpering because she couldn’t make it.
We had to put her down on the 26th.
Later that week, I continued watching the Futurama DVDs on Netflix, and unknowing, came across Jurassic Bark. I bawled. And I’m bawling now, seeing this picture and reading the comments. And Updike.
Both our dogs have been rescue dogs, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
tejanarusa
Newish here – tried to ignore that pic on Yahoo news – but here it is, with details.
Even more amazing – if my very basic Portuguese can be trusted — the dog was seen looking for its owner, and seems to have located her grave after the burial. That is, the dog wasn’t there when his owner was buried, he located the grave on his own.
Has anyone followed the link to the animal rescue group, Estimacao? Quite a few photos of dogs rescued from the disaster. Wish I could help them.
Paul in KY
Pretty sad. I’m not much of a dog person, but a dog like that one is worth its weight in gold, IMO.
Paul in KY
@Kevin Fairchild: Sorry for your loss.
Sasha
Dogs are not superior life forms, they are superior beings.