Rex is still a very good boy ❤️️
By Lily Feinn
Published on Oct 30, 2020 at 10:37 AM
Green-Wood Cemetery in south Brooklyn is full of famous residents — from artists and musicians to Civil War generals and politicians. But one tucked-away grave has gotten a lot more attention from recent visitors than ever before.
Among the thousands of angels and obelisks is Rex: a bronze statue of a dog lying on a stone platform engraved with his name. Rex has stood guard over his owner’s plot near the corner of Sycamore and Greenbough Avenues for well over 100 years — and he’s still a very good boy.
Rex is believed to be the dog of John E. Stow, who was one of the city’s longest practicing fruit merchants when he died in 1884. For years, people have been collecting sticks and fallen branches to leave them at the good boy’s waiting paws.
“When it comes to Rex, he obviously stands out,” Stacy Locke, communications manager for Green-Wood Cemetery, told The Dodo. “People see him from the road — it’s sort of a prominent spot, right off of the intersection of two roads here.”
“It’s right under a tree and there are lots of sticks around,” Locke added. “People will drop a stick across his little paws. Someone also left a picture of a dog there once, maybe their little pet who passed away, as to say, ‘Rex, look after my little one.’”
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In Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn there is a gravestone for a dog named Rex. People bring him sticks and place them at his feet because he is still a good boy. cc: @dog_rates pic.twitter.com/0GhxcZwjSz— Kevin T. Morales 👻 (@KevinTMorales) August 2, 2020
Green-Wood has become a popular destination for those looking to escape the crowds and enjoy nature during the COVID-19 pandemic. And as the number of visitors has grown, so has Rex’s stick collection.
But Rex isn’t the only animal to be honored at the 478-acre cemetery — several other beloved pets were buried with their owners before the cemetery’s board of trustees prohibited animal burials in 1879. “There’s another dog sculpture that has a similar mysterious story but it’s a little bit more off the beaten path,” Locke said. “And that one typically has toys left on it.”
A note in Green-Wood’s files dating to the 19th century refers to the placement of a “bronze likeness of a dog,” but whether Rex is buried next to his owner remains a mystery. “I think people like to believe that there is a dog interred there and there very well might be,” Locke said. “But it’s hard to say.”
Rex’s statue is a sweet reminder that no matter how much time passes, a dog’s love is forever.
To learn more about Green-Wood Cemetery’s furry and feathered residents, you can visit their website here. To check out Rex’s memorial, you can find him in Lot 2925, Section 81.
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Dog Adopted After Years In Shelter Finds Herself Without A Home Yet Again
She’s been in the shelter for over 1,500 days.
Last June, The Dodo highlighted the story of a dog named Kylie who’d been living at the Benton-Franklin Humane Society for over three years. Day in and day out, Kylie watched every dog but her get adopted and go home, until she became the animal who’d been at the shelter the longest.
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A few months ago, Kylie finally got what she’d been dreaming of: a family. A couple came into the shelter, picked her out and took her home. It really seemed like her shelter days were over.
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Then, an unexpected injury threw a wrench in Kylie’s happily-ever-after.
Kylie tore her ACL — a serious injury that requires intensive treatment. The surgery Kylie needed was costly, and as her new home could only be accessed by stairs, the pup’s new family made the heartbreaking decision to return her to the shelter.
“[T]hey did everything that they possibly could to try to keep her, but it just wasn’t the right fit,” Julie Saraceno, volunteer dog walker at the shelter, told The Dodo.
After Kylie underwent and recovered from her surgery, she was able to run around and play just like normal.
But after getting a brief taste of the outside world, she was once again stuck at the humane society. She’s now been there for over 1,500 days.
“In all that time, she has never lost her spirit,” Saraceno said in a TikTok.
One of the barriers that had been preventing Kylie from getting adopted was that she had to be in a single-dog household. But thanks to the shelter staff and volunteers’ hard work, Kylie has been making some friends with her fellow pups lately. Now, it would be possible for Kylie to join a family with other dogs, which opens up new opportunities for her.
Saraceno’s biggest dream for 2025 is to get Kylie adopted. All it would take for that dream to come true is one person deciding to take her home.
“Kylie is the best, and she deserves to be the next dog to leave the shelter,” Saraceno said in a TikTok.
If you’re interested in adopting or learning more about Kylie, you can reach out to the Benton-Franklin Humane Society.
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