Buenos Aires, Feb 20 (EFE).- Capitan, the dog who kept vigil for more than a decade at his owner’s grave in the Argentine town of Villa Carlos Paz, died in the cemetery, media outlets reported Tuesday.
“I never saw such loyalty,” a weeping Marta Clot, the cemetery florist, said of Capitan, a 16-year-old German shepherd mix who was found dead after a period of declining health.
Capitan was a surprise gift from Miguel Guzman to his son, Damian, in 2005.
But the dog left home following Miguel’s death in March 2006 and though he came back for a time, Capitan remained in the street outside the residence, as cemetery director Hector Baccega told EFE in 2012.
Later, when Capitan wondered off a second time, the family assumed he was dead or had found a new home until one day they found him sitting over Miguel’s grave.
People who were often in the cemetery recounted how Capitan would wander around the grounds during the daylight hours and then return to the grave at dusk.
“He used to sleep on his owner’s grave, but lately he had started to come up less often, due to his hip problem,” Clot said.
The florist fed Capitan and gave him medication.
The idea is to bury Capitan in the cemetery where he spent his life, although the necessary clearance from local authorities has yet to be obtained.