His final request, before the verdict that would end his life, was heartbreakingly simple: to see his German shepherd one last time. He had already accepted his fate with quiet resignation.

For twelve endless years, he had awakened each morning in the icy solitude of cell B-17. Accused of a murder he swore he never committed, he shouted his innocence until his voice went unheard. In the beginning, he fought — writing appeals, begging lawyers, refusing to give in. But slowly, his will drained away. At last, he stopped resisting and simply waited for judgment.

Through all those bitter years, only one thing kept his heart alive: his dog. He had no family, no friends left in the world. That shepherd wasn’t just a pet — she was his family, his companion, the only being who had never abandoned him. He had found her long ago as a trembling puppy hiding in an alley, and from that moment on, they were inseparable.

So when the warden asked about his last wish, he did not request a feast, a cigarette, or a priest. He only whispered:

— “I want to see my dog. Just once more.”

The guards hesitated, suspicious. Could it be a trick? Still, the request was granted. On the chosen day, before his sentencing, he was escorted into the prison courtyard. And there — at last — he saw her.

The moment the shepherd recognized her master, she tore free from her leash and charged across the yard. For a heartbeat, time itself seemed to stop.

What followed left everyone stunned. The guards stood frozen, unsure what to do.

The dog hurled herself against him with such force it was as if twelve years of separation collapsed into a single instant. She knocked him to the ground, but for the first time in years, he felt no chains, no cold — only warmth.

He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her fur. The tears he had buried for over a decade spilled freely at last.

He sobbed without shame, like a child, while the shepherd whimpered softly, as though she too knew their time was short.

— “My girl… my faithful one,” he whispered, clinging to her. “What will you do without me?”

His hands trembled as he stroked her back again and again, memorizing her shape, her warmth, her scent. She gazed up at him with unwavering devotion.

— “Forgive me… for leaving you alone,” his voice cracked. “I never proved the truth… but at least I was always yours.”

The guards stood in silence. Some turned away, unwilling to watch. In that moment, they no longer saw a convict, but a man — a man whose final embrace was all he had left in the world.

At last, he raised his tearful eyes to the warden.

— “Take care of her… please.”

He promised to accept his fate without struggle if only his dog would be given a safe home.

A heavy silence hung in the air. Then the shepherd barked sharply, loudly — as though protesting the cruelty of what was to come.

The prisoner only pulled her closer, holding on with the desperate strength of a man saying his last goodbye.