# Story that helped my dad get over the recent loss of his golden



## mddogluvrs (Aug 5, 2013)

My father recently lost his golden (Sam) who had been with him for 15 years. I found this story online, and adapted it for him, and he said that he really loved it. He shared it with a few of his friends over email and urged me to put it online, so I made a Facebook presence for it. He's been looking to get a Golden puppy, and I came across this forum as we were looking for information, so I thought it couldn't hurt to post this here. I hope that some other people might like it too!

An old man dozed off in his recliner one day, and when he woke up he was in a giant green field. He wondered at first, “Am I dreaming?” but the more he looked around the more he began to realize he was not. He looked at his arms, and they were the arms of a young man. He felt the breeze blow through the meadow, and felt the warmth of the sun on his face. He heard barking, and turned to see Rusty, his golden lab as a boy, bounding towards him.

He could hardly believe it! He reached down and hugged Rusty with both arms, ruffling his ears, and kissing him on top of his head. His heart filled with joy, as he picked up a stick and watched as Rusty bounded excitedly after it, bringing it back over and over. He realized that Rusty must be getting thirsty so he began to walk down the road which cut through the meadow. As they walked he came across a magnificent golden gate which had a large marble road heading over the next hill. A man stood next to the gate, reading from a book.

“What is this place?” he asked of the man.

“Don’t you know? You’ve reached the gates of Heaven.”

The man realized that he must have died in his sleep.

“May I enter?”

The man flipped through his book and pointed to a page,

“Ah, yes, here you are. Go right on in.”

The gates opened, and the man began to walk through them,

“But of course, there are no dogs allowed in Heaven,” the gatekeeper said, “Your dog will have to wait outside.”

“But sir, he’s very thirsty. I can’t just leave him here on the side of the road.”

“Well,” the gatekeeper said, “that’s up to you, but know that once you turn your back on this place you’ll never get another chance to enter.”

The man looked down at Rusty, who looked back up cocking his head and wagging his tail slowly.

“If my dog isn’t welcome, then I guess I don’t really belong either.”

The gatekeeper shrugged and said, “Suit yourself.”

The man continued walking, and sure enough, when he turned around the gate, the road, and the hill were gone. The man thought he should be worried, he had just turned his back on heaven, but he felt strangely calm. He reached down and ran his fingers through Rusty’s hair. The more the pair walked the more beautiful the countryside became, and the better the man felt. As he crested a hill he saw a beautiful valley where wildflower bloomed everywhere, birds chirped, and butterflies flitted from flower to flower. A farm house was further down the path, and the man walked up to it. 

A farmer leaned against a fence which went around the property. The man walked up to him and said hello. As they talked he asked,

“Would you mind if I came in an got a bucket of water from your well? My dog is awfully thirsty.”

“Of course,” the farmer said, “You and your dog are both welcome here,” the farmer said with a smile.

As the man drew a bucket of water, he turned to the farmer and asked,

“Where am I?”

“Son you’ve reached the gates of heaven,” the farmer said.

The man said, “Really, are you sure? A man back there said the other place was the gate of Heaven.”

“Oh, yeah,” the farmer said, “I know who you mean. He tells everyone that. But then, you know, ‘the devil is a liar.” 

The farmer smirked and shook his head, 

“Did you really think God would let anyone pass through the real gates of Heaven who was willing to leave his best friend in life alone and thirsty by the side of the road?”

If you're interested in sharing it, here's the Facebook link
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...205.1073741826.180934892077827&type=1&theater


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Welcome to the forum, I'm sorry you've found us under such sad circumstances.

That was ver beautiful, so sorry for your dad's loss of his Golden. What a great long life Sam had. 

You may want to check out the Choosing a Golden Retriever Breeder and Puppy Section when you are ready to find a pup for your dad. 

I would also look at the Golden Retriever Club of America's Puppy referral for your state or region.

Best of luck.

Godspeed Sam


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## HolDaisy (Jan 10, 2012)

So sorry for your loss of Sam. I'm glad that you Dad is hoping to welcome another golden puppy soon though and I hope that it helps to heal his heart.

Thank you for sharing that beautiful story.


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## Nally (Jun 20, 2013)

Wow, that was an awesome story. Got a little teary there.


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## GoldenJiros (May 5, 2013)

Oh the tears! That story was beautiful!!


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## beemerdog (Dec 1, 2012)

This sounds like one of my favorite episodes of Twilight Zone. 






This is what I based my sig line on last year when I first found I needed a heart transplant.


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