There’s one unfortunate and universal experience as a pet owner: in almost all cases, you will outlive your beloved animal. While we can recognize this intellectually, it doesn’t lessen the pain caused when our pets cross the rainbow bridge. Not only is this fact universal, but it’s also timeless. If you need proof, just look at Roman epitaphs from thousands of years ago. People have written about, and to, their dogs, and the message is clear: they missed their pups.
In one epitaph, shared in the book Companion Animals and Us: Exploring the Relationships Between People and Pets, it reads, “I am in tears, while carrying you to your last resting place as much as I rejoiced when bringing you home in my own hands 15 years ago.”
Another touching message conveys the heavy sadness that comes with the loss of companionship. “My eyes were wet with tears, our little dog, when I bore thee (to the grave)… So, Patricus, never again shall thou give me a thousand kisses. Never canst thou be contentedly in my lap. In sadness have I buried thee, and thou deservest. In a resting place of marble, I have put thee for all time by the side of my shade. In thy qualities, sagacious thou wert like a human being. Ah, me! What a loved companion have we lost!”
Ancient dog epitaphs have been popular on the internet for the past two decades, and a selection of them recently resurfaced as a viral Reddit thread. “These words might be over a thousand years old but still hit hard today,” one user wrote. They are a reminder that we’re never alone in this world. “Lost my boy of 16 years,” another user said, “and it's a comfort to know that this love and grief is a shared thread throughout humanity.”
The Ancient Romans loved their dogs just as much as we do. Thousands-year-old epitaphs have messages to their furry friends.
All images via Reddit.
Source: There are thousands of years old Roman epitaphs, where people wrote farewell messages to their dogs.
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