Mary's Fur Baby

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.