For 10 years, a loyal dog refused to leave his owner's grave.
After a woman died in 2011, her dog stayed at the cemetery day after day, through rain, heat, and heartbreak, guarding her resting place. Cemetery workers fed him, cared for him, and watched as he comforted grieving visitors with quiet companionship. When he died in 2021, the public was devastated.
His loyalty inspired São Paulo to pass a new law allowing pets to be buried alongside their families. Now, Brazil should take the next step.
Sign now to urge Brazil's National Congress to pass a nationwide law allowing pets to be buried with their loved ones.
In São Paulo, the new legislation recognizes what millions of people already know: pets are family. The law authorizes dogs and cats to be buried in family graves, offering a dignified and accessible alternative to cremation, which is often expensive and out of reach for many families.
Other states, including Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina, have already taken similar steps. A federal bill has been pending in Congress since 2023. The momentum is there. What's missing is national action.
For many Brazilians, the bond with a pet is not symbolic, it is profound. Pets comfort us through grief, loneliness, illness, and joy. They are companions in life. It is only humane and compassionate that families be allowed the choice to rest beside them in death.
Sign the petition to urge Brazil's Congress to pass nationwide legislation allowing pets to be buried alongside their loved ones.
