Most people are familiar with the story of Greyfriars Bobby, the little dog who loyally stood vigil over the graveside of his owner, who was buried in Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh. Later, in Italy, a dog named Fido became famous for the same reason; waiting at the bus stop for his master, who died during an Allied bombing.
These tales stand as a testament to the enduring fidelity of man's best friend. Now, history has repeated itself. An image of a dog waiting at the empty hospital bedside of his deceased master has gone viral on social media this week.
The image was shared by North Star Pet Rescue in New Jersey, which posted the image of a black lab named Moose, who was waiting obediently by the bedside of his owner.
The rescue centre captioned the picture: "Moose sat patiently next to his dad's hospital bed, waiting for him to return, not knowing that 'Dad' had passed away. Moose has now been returned to our friends at Eleventh Hour Rescue and he's taking the loss of his dad pretty hard. Please help Moose find a new home and a family for him to love. He’s a sweet happy boy by nature. He just needs people to help his heart heal. [sic]"
"Moose is currently being loved and cared for at the EHR Kennel in Randolph, NJ. He is a three-year-old Lab mix who is housebroken, adores kids, okay with dogs (pretty much neutral to them), but not meant for a home with cats or birds. But people, boy, does he love them! So much so that Moose would do best in a home where he hasn't left home alone all day long, he misses his people too much. [sic]"
Check out this heartwarming video of a dog comforting puppies in a kennel:They added: "If you can help Moose's heart heal by offering him a temporary foster home or a permanent home, please go to ehrdogs.org and put in an application to meet this sweet, loving boy. Let’s mend this broken heart, together.#ItTakesAVillage #BeHisVillage #SharingIsCaring. [sic]"
Thankfully, Moose was adopted by a loving family just two days after the photo was posted. We're so glad that Moose has found a new home; I'm sure he'll make a terrific pet.