Saints Alive > Literature > Stories

A Lonely Dog
by Jean Sidoli

  "Before I die I would like everyone to know how I feel. I am very old now and I have lived and will die chained in the back yard.
  I suffered the cold of the winter and the heat of the summer. I have never known the comforts of family life. I have never been invited inside to enjoy an evening with my family. I have never been for a walk. I see my family for five minutes each day when they bring me food and water; never at the same time.
  I have so much love in my heart to give them and now that I am near the end of my days, they will never know how much I loved them. I forgive them for the way they treated me, but my heart is heavy with sadness for all the dogs who live and die on a chain."