--- title: Dog Watching Owner Dig Its Grave Brought Out Many Emotions description: One man took to Twitter to share the story of his father digging his dog's grave only to learn he didn't need to be put down after all. canonical: https://time.com/5573400/dog-watches-owner-dig-grave/ author: Rachel E. Greenspan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-04-18T17:12:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:58:42.207Z og:title: Dog Watching Owner Dig Its Own Grave Goes Viral og:description: Don't worry, though: The dog is doing 'famously' og:url: https://time.com/5573400/dog-watches-owner-dig-grave/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Dog Watching Owner Dig Its Own Grave Goes Viral twitter:description: Don't worry, though: The dog is doing 'famously' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Dog Watching Owner Dig Its Grave Has Brought Out a Lot of Emotions Despite the Happy Ending ## Video: More Evidence That Owning a Dog is Really Good for You [Watch (HLS stream): More Evidence That Owning a Dog is Really Good for You](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/vTXboqxE.m3u8) (1:30)  _Published 2017-07-25. Dogs are more than just cuddly companions — research continues to show that pets bring real health benefits to their owners_ by [Rachel E. Greenspan](/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan Apr 18, 2019 5:12 PM CUT by [Rachel E. Greenspan](/author/rachel-e-greenspan/) ## Rachel E. Greenspan Apr 18, 2019 5:12 PM CUT Saying goodbye to [your pet dog](http://time.com/5572104/thai-rescue-dog-swimming-boon-rod-survivor/ "undefined") is extremely difficult. So it must have been hard for this man to prepare for the worst, only to be informed the vet’s assertion it was [time to say goodbye](http://time.com/5562994/diet-disease-mortality/ "undefined") was a “false alarm” after all. Such was the sad tale for the owners of this adorable male [golden doodle](http://time.com/5553223/cat-dog-thread/ "undefined"). As explained by the pet owner’s son, writer Franklin Hardy, on Twitter, the vet called to say the dog needed to be put down. But, no need to come into the office, the doctor said: He’d do the deed at their home. “My dad dug the dog’s grave and let the dog watch,” Hardy wrote. But it was all for naught when the vet realized he’d made a mistake after all. “Then the vet came and checked the dog and said it was a false alarm,” he wrote along with photos of the pup alongside his intended grave. > [](https://twitter.com/franklinhardy/status/1118698144328372224) Naturally, people were worried for the welfare of this pooch. But let this photo of the stoic animal be a comfort. “My dad says the dog is doing ‘famously,'” he wrote. > [](https://twitter.com/franklinhardy/status/1118871285147160577) Some of the replies to the tweet were as comical as the scenario itself. > [](https://twitter.com/sirosenbaum/status/1118702174593265664) > [](https://twitter.com/justinhendrix/status/1118700363685736449) > [](https://twitter.com/madcatdisease/status/1118705397366435840) > [](https://twitter.com/taichipants/status/1118703691035320320) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5573400/dog-watches-owner-dig-grave/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5573400/dog-watches-owner-dig-grave/"},"headline":"Dog Watching Owner Dig Its Grave Has Brought Out a Lot of Emotions Despite the Happy Ending","datePublished":"2019-04-18T17:12:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:58:42.207Z","description":"Don't worry, though: The dog is doing 'famously'","url":"https://time.com/5573400/dog-watches-owner-dig-grave/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel E. 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