This dog stands in front of the gate every morning, but it’s not even his house to begin with.
This is Oliver, a 14-year-old golden retriever who has an amazing knack for adventure. Even at his age, he gets up early in the morning to do his neighborhood rounds. He was once described as a “very determined dog with a strict schedule.” But then again, he’s not as athletic as he used to be so every minute is of the essence if he’s to cover ground.
He is so well-known in the neighborhood that he just waltzes into the house of the people he visits.
The yard dogs greet him with enthusiasm and some dogs even smuggle him inside the house.
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Oliver, as they described, embodied the spirit of the old neighborhood grandpa. He’s like one of those kinds of people who visit the same places at the same time and is friends with almost everyone in the area. When the dogs run to the gate with their tails wagging enthusiastically, it only means one thing – grandpa Oliver is in town.
Every place is his place.
He can walk into someone’s kitchen, plop in front of their refrigerator, and wait for someone to give him his well-deserved treats and pets.
Melissa, one of the neighbors frequented by the senior dog, shared that he’d been doing the rounds 9 years since she and her family moved in. In all of those years, he became part of their mornings. He’d come over at 7:15 AM or 7:30 AM.
This visiting hour may vary but he’s fine with it just as long as he makes it before breakfast.
But when it’s time to go home, Oliver is also punctual. He stands in front of the door, quietly asking for Melissa to open it. It’s his way of saying that it’s almost dinner time. He takes the same route at the same hour every day.
Melissa and Oliver’s mom, Sue, teamed up for this senior dog. Sue knew since then that Oliver has the urge to wander around.
And as an elderly dog, they’re giving him his space to be the kind of dog he wants himself to be.
To add a layer of safety in his routines, they also fitted him with a GPS device so they’d know where he is at any given hour.
Since then, he became a neighborhood institution. Sue shared that neighbors would call her up and say that Oliver stopped by their house. He’d have coffee with one family, a birthday in another, and even a 5 o’clock happy hour to cap things off.
His days may vary a bit, but one thing remains the same – if it’s 6 PM, it’s time to go home.
Melissa confessed with The Dodo that Oliver has helped them maintain a sense of time, especially when the pandemic rattled our schedules.
Even if he’s almost blind and aging, these things didn’t stop him from touching the lives of people and make their days just a little bit better.
“I’m so grateful that somebody else loves our dog as much as we love him.” Sue shared with The Dodo.
But we’re sure that Oliver is just as thankful because he gets to live his golden years with adventures.
Watch how this dog became the “neighborhood mayor” with his daily routine.
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