The Bob Coveiro (the Gravedigger) Law ‘recognises the emotional bond between guardians and their pets’
A dog that remained beside his former owner’s grave for 10 years has now given his name to a new state law allowing pets to be buried alongside their loved ones in São Paulo.
The new law – already being informally referred to as the Bob Coveiro (the Gravedigger) Law, in tribute to its inspiration – was signed this week by the governor of Brazil’s most populous state, the conservative Tarcísio de Freitas.
The law “recognises the emotional bond between guardians and their pets”, according to the state government, and authorises dogs and cats to be buried in graves and family plots whose concessions belong to their owners’ families.
Bob’s 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 Taboão da Serra, a city of 285,000 inhabitants about 12 miles from the state capital, São Paulo.
