I had just done some simple shopping at the grocery store. Bread, milk, and tea—nothing exceptional. It was all going according to plan. I was moving through the aisles when I heard the cart squeak and heard a distant conversation about sales. I arrived in the domestic area and discovered that the remote control required batteries.
Then I came to a halt.
A dog was sitting between boxes and lightbulbs, very next to the tool shelves. It sat there, still, as though it were a display piece for the store. The leash appeared to have been dropped on the ground. However, nobody was in the area. No owner, no sign of a hasty departure.
I froze, thinking someone would rush up, shout his name, and offer an apology. However, nothing took place. The dog simply sat quietly and stared at me. He wasn’t shivering or complaining. He simply waited. That was the most poignant and unsettling thing.
I couldn’t simply ignore him. He had a home because he had a collar. He was owned. I queried the personnel, strolled through adjacent areas, and searched around, but nobody had any information. He had never been seen before. How he got there was unknown.
It was virtually a given that I would bring him along. I couldn’t simply abandon him there. It started to occur to him: where would he sleep? What would I give him?
The store manager, however, then approached. He paused beside me and muttered something so softly that I was stunned for fifteen minutes or so.
– “Pardon me, is he with you?” That’s Richie. Here, in the aisle between the shelves, his owner passed out. A couple of hours ago. He was transported to the hospital after we called an ambulance. The dog remained, too. They were always together. The leash was always in his hand. However, he released his grip as they carried him away on the stretcher. The poor puppy was clueless about where to go. Thus, he remained. Awaiting.
Something inside of me started to tear. Richie remained. By themselves. No orders, no justification. He did not, however, depart. He sat there, the last time he saw the person who was everything to him.
How long had it been? What number of patrons had passed by without noticing? He continued to wait.
I gave the manager my address and phone number and volunteered to take the dog home with me until the owner got back.
If only the world’s people were as devoted as this dog.
