In the new age of social media, lost dog posters aren’t exactly outdated, but they’re also not as prevalent as they once were.
While before you could really only spread news of your missing pup through printed alerts, phone calls, and word of mouth, now you can plaster their sweet face all over the internet and wait for someone to realize they’ve indeed spotted that very pet.
But some “lost dogs” aren’t necessarily meant to be found. In this particular case, the owner simply hoped for her beloved pup to be remembered, and she used the old school poster way to ensure that he is.
Megan Clemens of Nashville, Tennessee, was taking her own dog, Stanley, for a walk when she spotted a piece of paper nailed to a post.
From a distance, it certainly looked like a “lost dog” poster, with its big block text and printed-out photos. So she decided she would cross the street to get a better look.
“I always try to stop and look at the missing pet signs just in case,” Clemens explained to The Dodo .
However, once she was close enough to read it, she found out the poster was not advertising a missing pup, but memorializing a late one.
A 10-year-old dog named Buster had passed away just over a month before, and his heartbroken owner, Elizabeth, decided to pen a moving tribute to her sweet pal.
“My heart sank of course,” Clemens recalled, “but the message was so bittersweet it brought tears to my eyes.”
The tribute, titled “Loved Dog”, describes a jolly golden retriever who lived a simple life, but one that was full of unconditional love.
It reads:
“To know Buster was to love Buster, and boy did I love him. Buster loved the water, running, playing ball, plush toys, avocados, chicken, meeting new friends (dogs and people), but best of all, Buster loved me. He always forgave me, always comforted me (even when he was sick), protected me, accepted me, and always stood by my side. May you find a love that does the same.”
As it turns out, Clemens actually knew Buster and had frequently interacted with him and his owner, Elizabeth, during her own walks with Stanley.
“Buster was such a sweet older pup — one you definitely make an effort to stop and say hello to!” she told The Dodo . “He was just as interested in saying hello to humans as he was to other dogs.”
In an interview with the outlet, Buster’s momma, Elizabeth King, explained she’d had him since he was just 7 weeks old.
During the 10 wonderful years they got to spend together, Buster always stuck right by her side, even helping to cheer his sick momma up when she fell ill last spring.
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“During that whole time, he was still willing to go on walks with me and comfort me,” she told The Dodo . “And it was so hard because I wanted to be strong and brave for him, but he’s usually the one who would give me that strength.”
When her beloved boy passed away in September, King was struggling to find a way to break the news to all the neighbors who adored him.
But then she remembered a post she had seen online in which a man memorialized his own late pup by writing up a poster that said “loved” instead of “lost.”
“I remember thinking, ‘That’s so cute. What a great way to celebrate your dog,'” she recalled. “And that stuck with me.”
Since Buster spent his whole life making sure everyone around him felt special, King hopes his “Loved Dog” poster will continue his heartwarming legacy.
“I want people to know they are worthy of love and can experience a love like that, even if it’s only from a dog,” King said . “Because it’s transformational to be loved that way.”
And if they take the time to stop and read a piece of paper nailed to a telephone pole, they’ll be treated to the bittersweet story about a dog who lived life knowing knowing only absolute joy and love.
h/t: The Dodo
