A Mystery
Posting for Stormy.
A Mystery
There was excitement in the air at the seniors nursing home. Today was the day in the week they all longed for. Prince was coming to visit. Prince, a large, black dog with a heavy plush coat, made his rounds every Monday. He had been visiting these elderly people for a long time. He enjoyed his time there, as much as they did.
Once in the building his owner slipped the leash off. The dog knew his way around. She followed her dog, chatting with the staff, giving hugs to the seniors. Prince stood patiently while he was petted, kisses, adored by gentle old folk. He was hugged, given doggie treats, even a cookie or two. He shook hands when asked, giving out love to all. When it was time to leave, his owner clipped his leash to his collar, called out goodbyes, then left.
That night she noticed that her dog seemed stressed about something. He wanted to eat, but had problem swallowing. He coughed a lot. She got a flashlight and took a good look inside his mouth. Everything looked fine. Prince had just passed his strict medical test in order to continue his work as a therapy dog. Something was just not right.
The next morning, he was worse. His water dish sat untouched. He lay, softly panting, his eyes telling her he was distressed. There was only one thing to do, take him to the vet.
Once there, his heart was good, all tests came back normal. The doctor asked the owner to remove his collar, so he could feel his throat and neck. As she was unbuckling it, her fingers caught in something else. They pushed his fur aside and found a tiny golden chain, that was so tight, it was a wonder he could breath. On the end of the chain there was a heart shaped locket.
They cut the chain off. Prince perked up right away, taking one shuddering breath after another. It must have been one of the sweet old ladies at the seniors home, who had managed to get the chain around the dogs neck, then his fur covered it. All was well.
The fine golden chain and locket was given to the staff when Prince made his return visit. The nurses looked at it in astonishment. “Why that belonged to Nellie, she passed away two weeks ago.” When the seniors were questioned, none admitted to putting it on the dog. A new rule was passed, nothing could be placed on the dog without permission.
As for the locket, the family were pleased to have it returned. They said their mother had put that around the neck of her dog before the left her lifetime home, to go into the nursing home. She was not happy, called it being in prison. Her dog had died shortly after she left her own home. When she was told her dog had died, they had given her the golden locket. The old lady was broken hearted, she grieved night and day until she was found during the night, passed on to a better place.
There was no explanation of how Prince came to be wearing it. It was talked and puzzled over for weeks, and everyone finally agreed, it was one of those things, as humans, we’d never understand. Some things just remain mysteries.
Stormy
