The watchdog by his owner’s grave finally ended after 11 years. The dog named Capitan, who captured the hearts of millions a few year ago when his story came out, is now gone.
After his owner, Miguel Guzman passed away in 2006, the dog started living at the cemetery. Every night, he would sleep at his human graveside. When Capitan died peacefully due to kidney failure 15 years later, it was fitting that he did so at his final resting place–his owner’s gravestone.
Capitan’s touching story of loyalty started on March 24, 2006, when Miguel died. Immediately after Capitán noticed Miguel was gone from home, he set out to look for him and—amazingly—found Miguel’s grave in the Municipal Cemetery of Villa Carlos Paz in Cordoba, Argentina.
Since Miguel passed away, Capitan has stayed by his side every day. At 6pm sharp, you can find him lying down next to Miguel’s headstone.
In 2005, Miguel brought home Capitán, a German Shepherd mix, as a surprise for his son Damián. His wife Veronica told La Vozthat when Capitán disappeared just after her husband’s death, she and her son searched for him but were unsuccessful. They believed he may have died or been adopted by another family.
But soon after, when Damien went to visit his father in the cemetery, there was Capitán! and no one could explain how he had found Miguel. The family rejoiced at their reunion but when they tried to bring Capitán home with them, he refused.
No matter how much Veronica and Miguel tried, Capitán would not leave the graveyard. He would follow them home occasionally, but he always came back to the cemetery in the end.
The cemetery director, Hector Baccega, explained that the dog quickly gained the affections of not only precinct workers but also cemetery caretakers. They made sure Capitán was well-fed and up to date on his immunizations. Unfortunately, at one point Capitán had broken his front leg; so thankfully, a vet was called in to help speed along the recovery process.
Though Capitán visits his old home to see Veronica and Damien, Veronica has come accept that he doesn’t want to stay permanently. She understands that Capitán wants to stay close to gravesite of his deceased best friend.
Damien not only observed Capitán taking care of his dad but also noted that the dog seemed to prefer staying with him. Damien admitted he wanted to bring Capitán home over the years, yet he was content knowing the dog would rather be by his side.
Hector Baccega said that Capitán would walk with him through the cemetery every day, but when early evening approached, he would go to Miguel’s tomb and lay down next to the headstone. Hector feels that the amazing dog shared a valuable lesson with humans – to appreciate the memories of those who have passed away.
When Capitan went to the vet for a check-up four years ago, the veterinarian diagnosed him with kidney failure. However, given his age and how well he had been doing up until that point, it was decided that the best course of action would be to let him live out his remaining years without treatment.
We believe that it would have been inhumane to let him die alone and scared at the vet’s office, so we took him to the cemetery where he was calm and felt more comfortable.
Rest in Peace, dear Capitan. You will never be forgotten.