The heartbreaking video of the wolf dog “crying” at his owner’s grave: what happened to the animal?

If usually immersion across the borders of the Internet for a long time, probably crossed his path at some point the video of the wolf dog crying in pain on his master’s grave.

That clip, which has gone viral in the last few hours on X (on the @1hakankapucu account, with more than 48,000 views), is heartbreaking no matter how you look at it. The dog, almost as if it were a person, coughs convulsively as he greets the woman who rescued him. What many don’t know is that he, Wiley, He was also a hero.

“Wiley cries for my grandmother”. This is the title of the video that started it all.

“Wiley cries for my grandmother”

The YouTube publication that brought the video to the world was made by the granddaughter of Gladys Eisenstein on her channel “Sarah and the Wolves”, and already has more than 10 million views on that social network. It has been online since April 14, 2013.

In the description, the woman points out that Wiley cried with Gladys the same day she uploaded the video. I’ve never done anything like what you see in the clip.

“I could anthropomorphize his actions, but this is how he chose to deal with the loss, so accept it”Eisenstein’s granddaughter wrote in response to those who in the comments say that Wiley is not crying, but coughing on the contrary.

In the same description, the user clarifies that Wiley “is a therapy dog ​​who helps veterans returning from war suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder” and specifies that he belongs to the program “Warriors and wolves”.

What is that program about?

Warriors and wolves

The program “Warriors and Wolves” belongs to Lockwood Animal Rescue Center (LARC) from Frazier Park, California (USA).

It is a program dedicated to rescuing wolfdogs and helping those returning from war better overcome their mental health problems. For this reason, LARC has a sanctuary where the animals live comfortably and also keep veterans company. A bilateral love bond is built.

“There are many similarities between a veteran and a wolf,” notes LARC, explaining: “The veteran, like the wolf, can kill if necessary to protect the good of the many. Here lies the similarity. The wolf protects the environment and is sacrificed, the veteran protects his homeland and is called a murderer. Both the wolf and the veteran serve to protect us all. At LARC we believe that both should be given the opportunity to heal.”

What happened to Wiley?

The wolfdog in the video lived much longer.

Wiley only passed away in early 2020., seven years after the video was posted on YouTube, and this is how the LARC Instagram account greeted us: “Wiley always greeted the staff and volunteers warmly; He hasn’t met a single person he didn’t like. (…) ⁠We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend Wiley.”

His ashes are under his favorite tree along with a stone plaque showing his contribution to the creation of LARC.

The dog died of natural causes related to old age. “He started it all, and we consider him a co-founder of LARC,” the center notes.

Wiley was found in 2008 by Matthew, one of the LARC managers. She was in a local shelter shaking and terrified, tied to a “cold stainless steel table” and on the verge of being euthanized because she had wolf DNA.

At that point Matthew took him in and that’s how he started saving wolves and wolfdogs.

“Wiley was a kind and gentle friend to everyone at LARC. “He has been our wolfdog ambassador, educating the public on why humans should not breed wolves and dogs,” the post notes.

Six months after his death, LARC remembered him in another post: “You will always be missed and you will always be an honorable wolf on our memorial wall. Thank you for every moment.”