I had just finished my basic grocery store shopping. Tea, milk, and bread, nothing special. Everything was proceeding as planned. As I was walking down the aisles, I heard a distant discussion about sales and the cart squeak. When I got to the house, I found that the remote control needed batteries.
Then I stopped.
Near the tool shelves, a dog was perched between boxes and lightbulbs. It remained motionless, as if it were a store display piece. It looked like the leash had fallen to the ground. But no one was around. No owner, no indication of a hurried exit.
I froze, expecting someone to come running up, call his name, and apologize. But nothing happened. The dog just sat silently and gazed at me. He wasn’t moaning or shivering. He just bided his time. The most disturbing and sad thing was that.
I couldn’t just ignore him. Because he had a collar, he had a place to live. They owned him. I asked the staff, walked around the surrounding locations, and looked about, but no one had any information. No one had ever seen him. It was unclear how he got there.
I was almost certain that I would take him with me. I couldn’t just leave him there. He began to wonder where he was going to sleep. What could I offer him?
But then the store manager came over. For about fifteen minutes, I was shocked as he paused next to me and murmured something so gently.
Excuse me, is he present? That’s Richie. His owner fainted here, in the aisle between the shelves. a few hours prior. We phoned an ambulance and they took him to the hospital. And the dog stayed. They were together all the time. He held the leash at all times. But as they carried him away on the stretcher, he let go of his hold. The poor puppy had no idea where it was going. So he stayed. Waiting.
A tear began to form inside of me. Richie was still there. alone. No directives, no explanation. But he didn’t leave. The last time he saw the person who meant the world to him, he sat there.
How much time had passed? How many customers had gone by without noticing? He kept waiting.
I offered to take the dog home with me until the owner returned, and I provided the management my address and phone number.
If only everyone in the planet had the same level of devotion as this dog.
