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"This is Summer," read the caption on the picture of a gorgeous golden retriever, sprawled out on a dog bed looking sweetly up into the camera.
"She died on June 24, 2024 at the age of 16 years and 2 months and 3 days old. I miss her so much. Picture taken two weeks before she passed."
My heart clenched into a fist.
Having said goodbye to our own senior dog in December last year, I've been blindsided by just how much the grief can still floor every member of our family out of the blue.
I clicked on the 'care' emoji reaction and opened the comment section to send my condolences to a woman in America I'd never met. We were both part of the Golden Retriever Lovers Facebook group, and had both had to say goodbye to much-loved family members. Connection enough for me to send her some well-wishes, I reasoned.
"Save your tears, this woman is a SCAMMER," read the first comment.
"She has a different dead dog every day," agreed another, "Admin, please block and delete."
I clicked on the name of the profile who'd posted about Summer. Indeed, there were several posts in the group, dating back several months, where she’d claimed to have just lost a dog.
"It happens all the time," says Gold Coast woman Sally, who is a member of half-a-dozen online dog-lover groups.
"I have no idea why these people do it — what is there to gain? It’s not like your traditional scam where they’re asking for money or anything?"
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