There’s no concept that feels as timeless as a human’s love for their dogs. They’re members of the family, so we tend to apply many of our human traditions to them: birthday celebrations, Halloween costumes, and ultimately funeral or memorial ceremonies.
In many cultures, traditional burial rites involve dedicating a headstone in honor of the person lost. So naturally, people often remember their lost pets the same way. That doesn’t seem to have changed much at all over the last 80 years, as a recent discovery in a local park indicates.
Zach Medlin was walking his dog, Serena, in Kiroli Park in West Monroe, Louisiana, when he noticed something slightly hidden. Upon closer inspection, Medlin saw that it was an engraved stone marker. This piqued his interest, Medlin told The Dodo.
“The inscription was covered by some pine straw. So I had to move the pine straw out of the way to read what the grave marker had to say.”
When he fully uncovered the stone, he saw the inscription: “Buddie, 1928 – 1942. Born a dog, Died a gentleman.” In the middle of this 150-acre park, there was a headstone for a good boy who died 80 years ago.
Medlin stopped to wonder about Buddie and the people who loved and gave him a proper burial. He felt touched.
“It warms my heart to know that Buddie carried his owners through the Great Depression. All dogs deserve a grave marker.”
Of course, it’s all a beautiful reminder of the strong relationship between people and their dogs, no matter how brief their time together. Buddie did live 13 years, and obviously, he lived a full life.
Medlin shared a photo of Buddie’s resting place to the popular Facebook group “Dogspotting,” and of course it resonated with many. The post now has over 58,000 likes and 1,300 shares.
Who Was Buddie “The Gentleman?”
So: who was Buddie? A local legend says Buddie was the doggie mascot for a Boy Scout camp in the area. Other research implies he was an Irish Setter and a beloved family pet who frequently took walks at the park where he now lies buried. To be fair, even all those years ago Buddie was a pretty popular name choice for a dog.
Whatever’s true about Buddie “the gentleman”‘s history, one thing is known for sure: someone really cared about him. His memory lives on through this subtle but permanent dedication in the park.
To put it as poignantly as one Facebook commenter did: “I love Buddie. Now I will go hug my dog.”
H/T: The Dodo
Featured Image: Zach Medlin/Facebook
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via Whisker Therapy