The Old Golden Retriever JRT

by Jerry King
(Paradise, Ca. USA)

In her youth, she was a loyal and loving friend. The kind of dog that comes along but once in a lifetime. Her owner was a warm hearted elderly lady. Out of love and affection, her owner gave her the best food and care. But she had outlived her owner. The relatives had surrendered the dog to the animal shelter, where she now lived.

The cold winds of late winter made her joints hurt and she would shiver through the night. Constant barking of the other dogs made her so nervous that she couldn't eat. Old age had brought gray to her face. Years of easy living had left her overweight. Large folds of skin covered with thick, golden hair hung off her like an old woolly Mammoth. Walking was painful and measured.
Her eyes held a sadness that melted even darkest and most cynical of hearts. There was a deep loneliness in those big eyes.
A casual observer might wonder how this noble Grand Dame of dogs could be living out the last days of her life in a cold and clinical institution as a ward of the state.
Her few joys were fleeting. Every foot scrape on the gravel and clanking of the outside gate would bring her waddling up to the fence. Hoping for the familiar voice of her owner. She would be home again laying on her bed next to the fireplace. She missed the grandchildren the most. The little ones were her babies. She followed them everywhere. They would give sneak her food and go to sleep curled next to her. She would give her life to protect them.
When the shelter worker came to take her to the room where they would end her life, She kindly licked the man?s hand. Glad to be with a human again.