Grandfather & Rocco

Happily, dog stories keep pinging their way to me, this one I’d like to share with you, it’s a translation from Italian.

Whenever I visited my Grandfather I noticed that he always preferred to be alone, he rejected any attempts to engage with others.  So, I decided to see if I could change this by introducing him to a small dog that we had rescued from the street.  He named the dog Rocco; quickly a bond formed between the small street dog and my lonely Grandfather. 

They developed a love of doing things together, like sunbathing, eating, going out for short walks and watching TV.

Some months later my Grandfather became ill and had to go into hospital, before he went in he wrote me a letter, carefully outlining how to care for Rocco, in case he didn’t make it.  He even included a recipe for a soup that he prepared for his dog.  When I read the recipe, all I could think was that I needed a recipe for how to survive without Grandfather.

He entrusted my family with the care of his beloved Rocco.  Eventually he was discharged from the hospital, and we brought Rocco to him.  Grandfather hugged Rocco so tightly and whispered into his ear,

“We need to hurry to do all the things we have to do together, there’s not much time left.”

He chuckled as he spoke the words.  He then made a list of the things that he wanted to share with his faithful companion.

As I watched Grandfather with Rocco, I could see the bond between them, it was so evident how much they loved each other.  

To anyone who says that pets are ‘just animals’ I would respond,

“Animals are a gift for the soul, they teach us tolerance, respect and love, the kind that unites rather than divides.  Loving them teaches us how to truly love.”

Not my words, nor my story, but a shared sentiment.

This story is dedicated to Ray Smith who died today, his dog story was an inspiration to me, for which I will always be grateful.

AJK