A dog that remained beside his former owner\u2019s grave for 10 years has now given his name to a new state law allowing pets to be buried alongside their loved ones in S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n
The new law \u2013 already being informally referred to as the Bob Coveiro (the Gravedigger) Law, in tribute to its inspiration \u2013 was signed this week by the governor of Brazil\u2019s<\/a> most populous state, the conservative Tarc\u00edsio de Freitas.<\/p>\n The law \u201crecognises the emotional bond between guardians and their pets\u201d, according to the state government, and authorises dogs and cats to be buried in graves and family plots whose concessions belong to their owners\u2019 families.<\/p>\n Bob\u2019s former owner died in 2011. After her burial, the brown long-haired mixed-breed dog reportedly refused to leave her side at a cemetery in Tabo\u00e3o da Serra, a city of 285,000 inhabitants about 12 miles from the state capital, S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n Relatives are said to have tried several times to take the dog away, but he always returned and was eventually adopted by cemetery staff, who provided him with a kennel and regularly fed, bathed and vaccinated him.<\/p>\n Gravedigger Bob gained national fame<\/a> for accompanying other funeral processions while reportedly carrying a small ball in his mouth, trying to play with visitors \u2013 something many saw as a gesture of comfort in moments of grief.<\/p>\n In 2021, after leaving the cemetery grounds, the dog was struck by a motorcycle and died<\/a>.<\/p>\n There was widespread public commotion, and, as there was no legal provision at the time, the Tabo\u00e3o da Serra city council made an exception and allowed it to be buried alongside its former owner.<\/p>\n The NGO Patre, which works with stray animals, launched a crowdfunding campaign to install a statue<\/a> in the cemetery, where it has stood since 2022. \u201cOur tribute and gratitude for your lessons in love and loyalty,\u201d reads the plaque beneath the statue, adding that \u201cin the face of grief, [Bob] taught us to \u2018offer little balls\u2019 and attention when others need it most\u201d.<\/p>\n One of the authors of the bill, Eduardo N\u00f3brega, the the conservative state deputy, posted<\/a> that \u201canyone who has lost a pet knows: it\u2019s not just an animal. It\u2019s family.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the law provides a \u201cdignified and accessible\u201d alternative to the previous requirement of cremation, whose high costs often led families to dispose of remains improperly.<\/p>\n S\u00e3o Paulo is not the first Brazilian state to authorise the burial of pets alongside their owners, which is already in force in Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina. A federal bill has also been pending in the lower house of congress since 2023.<\/p>\n In the city of Apucarana, in the state of Paran\u00e1, a similar law faced strong opposition in 2024, with city councillors arguing, for example, that it would be \u201cinappropriate\u201d because a cemetery is \u201csacred ground<\/a>\u201d, but it was ultimately approved.<\/p>\n