The prisoners final wish before his sentence was carried out was to see his dog one last time, but when the dog entered the cell, something unexpected happened.
Facing the end, the man had accepted his fate with quiet resignation. His only request wasnt for a final meal, a cigar, or a priestit was to see his Alsatian, the one living soul he cared about.
Twelve years hed spent in the cold, grey confines of Cell B-17, accused of a murder he swore he didnt commit. At first, he foughtappeals, lawyers, desperate pleasbut eventually, the fight drained from him. Only one thing weighed on his mind all those years: his dog. No family, no friends. Just her. Hed found her as a trembling pup in a back alley, and from that day, theyd been inseparable.
When the warden handed him the form for his final request, the man didnt hesitate.
“I want to see my dog,” he said softly. “One last time.”
The staff exchanged glances. Was this some kind of trick? But on the appointed day, they led him into the yard under heavy guard. The moment the Alsatian saw him, she tore free from the officer holding her leash and charged toward him.
Time seemed to stop.
What happened next stunned everyone. The dog barrelled into him with such force it knocked him off balance, but for the first time in years, he didnt feel the weight of his chainsjust warmth.
He buried his face in her thick fur, his body shaking as years of held-back tears finally broke free. He wept openly, like a child, while the dog whined softly, as if she understood their time was short.
“Youre my girl my loyal girl,” he whispered, clutching her tighter. “What will you do without me?”
His hands trembled as he stroked her back again and again, memorising every detail. She gazed up at him with unwavering devotion.
“Forgive me for leaving you,” his voice cracked. “I couldnt prove the truth but I was always yours.”
The guards stood frozen. Some looked away. Even the hardest among them couldnt remain unmovedthis wasnt a criminal before them, just a man holding onto the last piece of his world.
He lifted his eyes to the warden, his voice rough with emotion.
“Take care of her.”
He begged the warden to take her home, promising in return he wouldnt resist what came next.
The silence that followed was deafening. The dog barked sharply, as if protesting what was to come.
The prisoner only held her tighter, pressing her close the way a man does when he knows hell never hold anything again.
