
07/09/2025
The doctors allowed the dog into the room to say goodbye to his owner—a few hours later, the nurse came in and screamed in horror 😨😢
The palliative care room was silent. Only the heart monitor emitted occasional, faint beeps—barely audible, like the breath of life fading from the 82-year-old man's body.
He had known the diagnosis for a long time: widespread metastases, irreversible changes. The doctors were honest—I had days, maybe hours, ahead of me. But it wasn't the fear of death that held him back—it was the pain of saying goodbye. Every day, he looked out the window and whispered,
"Ritchie... Where are you, little one..."
Ritchie—his old, shaggy, but loyal dog, whom he had found as a puppy on the side of the road. They had spent nearly fifteen years together—lost their wife, their son, their home, their friends... everything but each other. That day, when the nurse came in to change the IV, the elderly man suddenly grabbed her hand:
"Please... Let me see Ritchie... He's alone... I can't leave without hugging him one last time."
The nurse paled. Animals weren't allowed in the sickrooms. But something stirred in her heart. She went to the head physician. He looked at her as if she were crazy:
"This is a hospital... But... if it's your last wish..."
Two hours later, a soft bark was heard at the hospital entrance. A thin dog with a gray muzzle was there.
The nurse opened the door to the room—and Ritchie, without hesitation, jumped onto the bed. He lay gently on his owner's chest, resting his head on his shoulder.
The man whispered:
"I'm so sorry... I'm sorry I wasn't there for you... My little one... Thank you..."
He cried, petted the dog, kissed its head. And Ritchie whimpered softly, as if to say, "I'm here. I'm with you. Until the end."
They stayed like that for several hours. The nurse decided not to disturb them and left the room. When he returned later and opened the door, he screamed in horror. 😨😢