http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7242_1278715,00180007.htm

An elderly Australian man will be buried with his loyal dog after the animal spent almost a week guarding the deceased's body and appeared too miserable to live after being removed from his master.

The RSPCA in northeastern Queensland state said that Jess, a cattle dog cross estimated to be about 12 years old, would be put to sleep and later cremated and buried with his owner.

The dog was found lying across the body of his 74-year-old owner who died in his Brisbane home.

The animal protection society was called in when the dog attempted to shield the dead man from ambulance officers who had come to take the body away.

"The dog would just growl and attack them basically," RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty told AFP. "It was just devoted to the owner."

Man and dog had been inseparable and while the RSPCA had originally attempted to care for the pet, they found him to be aggressive and unhappy while in their custody.

"He was a one-person dog," Beatty said, adding that the animal was old and not in perfect health.

The dog would likely have been euthanased within ten days for failing the RSPCA's behaviour test for animals to be given to the public, he said.