The beautiful puppy died before his time due to a heart defect nobody knew he had. Mary’s fur baby was buried in her yard and a bronze plaque marks his resting place. His soul is probably running happy and healthy with all the other dogs and cats past the Rainbow Bridge.
Dante stayed in his bed in the store with Mary and kept her
company as he became weaker and weaker and could no longer play. His sad eyes
followed her around and occasionally he would bark at a customer he did not
like.
Before he got so weak, Dante’s favorite spot was in the middle
glass window from where he watched the local pedestrians and the tourists who
were so happy to see such a beautiful dog watching them from behind the glass.
When he finally passed, it broke Mary’s heart. She wanted
him with her in the store so she framed a large portrait of Dante and placed it
in the same window from whence he had watched the world go by daily from his
comfortable seat.
A couple of years later, one very late evening, almost at
closing time, a very elderly couple came in to ask her if they could buy the
portrait in the window. The husband and wife were walking with canes and looked
so frail; they could hardly afford to stroll with the purpose to shop. They did
not ask for any piece of jewelry on display in Mary’s store, they wanted that
framed picture. It was their daughter’s fortieth anniversary and they wanted to
give her something special and memorable.
Mary told them that the framed picture was not for sale, it
was the photo of her beloved Dante. The couple looked dejected and, after
insisting a few times, they turned around to leave. But Mary’s generosity was
legendary. She felt sorry for them, so old, frail, barely able to walk, it was
late in the evening, she told them yes, she would sell it to them for $50, the
price of the frame. She wrapped it nicely, tied the package with a blue velvet
bow, and walked them to their car.
Mary ordered later a metallic photo of Dante, easier to
resist sun damage, and never regretted selling the original framed photo to
this lovely couple. She described the encounter to me and I could feel the pain
welling behind her voice. Nevertheless, she was generous in her offer to make
the couple happy.
The story reminded me of the song that goes, “How much is
that doggy in the window?” Even in death, Dante managed to please some
total strangers who happened to walk into Mary’s store late one evening.
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