While walking his one-eyed Staffordshire terrier, Serena, through Kiroli Park in West Monroe, Louisiana, Zach Medlin stumbled upon something quietly extraordinary — a small stone half-buried beneath pine needles and fallen leaves.
At first glance, it looked like just another rock. But when the sunlight hit a faint engraving, curiosity got the better of him.
“I had to move the pine straw out of the way to read what the grave marker had to say,” Medlin told The Dodo.
Etched into the worn stone were the words:
“Buddie, 1928–1941. Born a dog / Died a gentleman.”
The simple inscription stopped Medlin in his tracks. He looked around the vast 160-acre park and wondered how this lone grave — dedicated to a dog who passed away more than 80 years ago — had ended up here.
From the tender words carved into the marker, Medlin could tell Buddie had been deeply loved.
“It warms my heart to know that Buddie carried his owners through the Great Depression,” Medlin said. “All dogs deserve a grave marker.”
Over the years, a local legend has grown around Buddie’s resting place. Some say Kiroli Park once served as a Boy Scout summer camp, and that Buddie was their loyal mascot.
According to the tale, one day a Scout began drowning in the lake — and Buddie’s frantic barking alerted others, saving the boy’s life.
But later research revealed another version of Buddie’s story — one just as touching in its simplicity.
A handwritten note from 1993, uncovered by researcher Lora Peppers and shared on Findagrave.com, explains that Buddie belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Albert H. Jones of Monroe.
Their beautiful Irish setter often accompanied Mr. Jones to Kiroli Park to run and play. When Buddie eventually passed away, Mr. Jones chose to bury his beloved companion in the place he loved most.
Whether Buddie was a hero to a troop of Scouts or simply to his family, one truth remains: he was cherished — and remembered.
More than eight decades later, visitors like Medlin still pause at that quiet corner of the park, moved by the devotion behind a small stone that reads:
“Born a dog. Died a gentleman.”
