Something unusual happened at the Publix at Southern Trace on Wedgewood Lane that brought a lot of smiles.
My Staffordshire Terrier, Cole, is now 15 years old and weighs about 75 pounds. He usually waits patiently in my golf cart, but this time he slipped out, figured out the automatic doors, and walked straight inside looking for me. Employees and customers were amused rather than alarmed, and the manager knelt down to comfort him until I came out.
When I approached, I used hand signals (he’s deaf), and Cole followed me right out in perfect heel mode, hopped back into the golf cart, and we went home — leaving behind a trail of laughter and smiles.
Both of my dogs have been rescues. Buddy, my beloved Cocker Spaniel service dog, traveled everywhere with me for five years, even on airplanes.
When he passed, I was heartbroken. Exactly one year later, to the day, I adopted Cole — and he has been my shadow ever since. That night at Publix, he proved just how determined he is to keep me in sight.
It could have been a scene, but instead it became one of those rare, heart-warming Village moments.
Bernadette McGinnis is a resident of the Bromley Villas in the Village of Chatham