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Heartbreaking photos of dog sitting next to teacher's coffin

A dog that was captured lying next to a coffin broke hearts around the world when the photo was shared online.

The young woman who shared the photo to Facebook explained the coffin had the body of her teacher, Carmelito Marcelo, inside. He died on Saturday of a stroke.

The dog photographed lived at the school where Mr Marcelo had taught. The teacher had fed and cared for the dog, Kristina Paola Demafelix said.

The photograph of Buboy the dog lying beside Carmelito Marcelo's coffin in the Philippines at the teacher's wake. Source: Facebook / Ma Kristina Paola Demafelix
The photograph of Buboy the dog lying beside Carmelito Marcelo's coffin at the teacher's wake went viral online. Source: Facebook / Ma Kristina Paola Demafelix

The student behind the viral picture who attended Mabalacat City College in the Filipino city of Mabalacat City explained the red and white dog named Buboy had followed her teacher everywhere.

The photo of Buboy was taken at Marcelo’s wake where Ms Demafelix had taken the dog because he had become confused since the teacher failed to show up to the school.

“Every time I would see you, Buboy, I felt like crying,” she wrote in Filipino — which was translated to English.

“It hurts losing a pet dog. How much more if you lose a master who treated you like family? Even when Sir [Marcelo] didn’t have classes, he would go to school to look after you and give you food.”

Buboy had not seen the teacher since he had suffered a stroke early last week as he had been in hospital.

The dog had been waiting at the school gate every morning for him and making regular trips to the door of his classroom looking for him.

She said she had watched Buboy sitting outside Mr Marcelo’s room with his paws outstretched, so it looked like he was “knocking at the door”.

The following day the students had decided to take the distressed dog to their teachers wake to try and help him understand his friend had died.

Buboy the dog waits outside the door of Carmelito Marcelo's classroom. The teacher died after suffering a stroke. Source: Facebook / Ma Kristina Paola Demafelix
Buboy waits outside the door of Mr Marcelo's classroom. The teacher died on Saturday after suffering a stroke earlier in the week. Source: Facebook / Ma Kristina Paola Demafelix

It was there that she snapped the photo of Buboy beside Marcelo’s coffin, which went viral.

Since the teacher’s death, the whole school had taken on the task of caring and feeding for the dog, she added.

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