I went into a grocery store just to do the usual shopping. No special plans – bread, milk, something for tea. Everything was going as usual. I walked past the rows as usual, listened to the cart creaking on the turns, someone in the distance discussing discounts. I got to the department with household goods – I needed batteries for the remote control.
And then I stopped.
Right next to the tool racks, between the boxes and the light bulbs, sat a dog. Just sitting there, not moving, as if it were part of the interior. The leash was lying on the floor, and it looked like it had just been let go. But there was no one nearby. No owner, not even a trace of a hasty departure.
I froze, expecting someone to run up, call her name, apologize. But nothing happened. The dog sat calmly, looking straight at me. Not shaking, not whining. Just… waiting. It was the most terrifying and touching thing.
I couldn’t just walk past. She had a collar, which meant she had a home. She had an owner. I looked around, walked through the nearest departments, asked the salespeople, but no one knew anything. No one had seen her before. No one knew how the dog ended up here.
I had almost made a decision to take her with me. It was impossible to just leave her. Thoughts began to form in my head: how she would be at home, where she would sleep, what to feed her.
But then the store manager came up. He stopped next to me and quietly said something that made me shocked and stand motionless for about 10 minutes.
– Oh, excuse me, is she with you? This is Richie. His owner got sick right here, in the aisle. A few hours ago. We called an ambulance, they took him to the hospital. But the dog stayed. He always came with her. Always held the leash in his hand. But when they carried him away on a stretcher… he let go. The poor animal didn’t know where to go. So he stands there, waiting.
I felt something in my chest break. Richie was left. Alone. Without a team, without an explanation. But he didn’t leave. He sat where he had last seen the one who meant the world to him.
How much time had passed? How many shoppers had passed by without noticing? And he was still waiting.
I offered the manager to take the dog until the owner returned and left my address and phone number.
I wish everyone in the world were as loyal as this dog.
