Lady the Golden Retriever Waits with Deceased Owner for a Week

After her owner Parley Nichols passed away, an incredibly loyal Golden retriever dog named Lady refused to leave his side for a full week.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on April 21 2010

iStock image

Remember the story of Hachiko, the Akita from Japan who waited at the train station for his owner every day, even long after his companion had passed away? Well, there’s a modern-day equivalent of this intensely loyal pet: a Golden retriever named Lady.

Lady was the constant companion of Parley Nichols, an 81-year-old man from Hartville, Ohio. After Nichols adopted Lady as a puppy, she went everywhere with him for six full years. Even when Nichols developed dementia and began to lose his memory, he never left his beloved dog behind.

After Nichols went missing on April 8th, no one was able to find Lady, either. Family, friends, and police officers spent a week searching for the pair. Finally, on April 14th, someone alerted a neighbor to a promising sign: a dog had been barking in a field just outside of town. It took some searching, but eventually, they found Lady, along with the body of Nichols, who had died of heart failure.

“Lady was standing by his side protecting him,” Nichols’ son Terry told PEOPLEPets.com. “We are sure that she never left my dad for seven days, staying alive by drinking water from the creek.”

Lady didn’t want to leave her master’s side, but Nichols’ family members pulled her away from the tragic scene. Since then, Nichols’ relatives have taken her in as their own, and she is responding in kind.

“Lady seems fine now ... she is a friendly, happy dog,” Terry said. “I don’t know if she misses my dad, but she is responding well to the rest of us. She did the right thing for dad, and we will always be comforted by that.”

Filed under: Animals and Pets, General Interest,

Liked this? You'll love these, too:

How Therapy Dogs Can Help Children with Autism

Service dogs can help children and adults with autism learn to better cope with their environment. Read More
A Fallen Soldier’s Last Gift: Bruce Hays and the Apache Project

After soldier Bruce Hays died in Afghanistan, his Wisconsin neighbors worked to restore an old truck that he'd promised to his wife Terry. Read More
The Amazing Story of Japanese Earthquake Survivor Dog, Maruku

Check out the amazing survival story of a dog who survived the Japanese earthquake and traveled across the country before finally reuniting with her family. Read More
Dog Saves Elderly Owners From Winter Storm

A 7-year-old German Shepherd/wolf mix named Shana is quite a canine hero in Alden, N.Y., as the story spreads of her efforts to save her owners during an October surprise storm. Read More
Dog Tale Has Hollywood Ending

A dog lost in Colorado turns up in a faraway place: Tennessee. Read More