November 24th 2023
The Wall Street Journal
Sheila Trichter In The News… The Wall Street Journal
Seven years ago, I represented the seller of a one-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side that eventually sold for $1.25 million. I had previously sold that apartment to the seller, and at the time he bought it he had an adorable rescue dog named Dude, whom he adored. When I did the walk-through with the buyer prior to closing, we found a beautiful blue urn, with gold and silver leafing, on the mantle. It contained Dude’s ashes. I called the seller, and he said he had no idea why the movers didn’t take it. He asked me and the buyer if we wanted it, but neither of us wanted the dog’s ashes. I told him I would take it and store it in my desk until he picked it up. Every year or so, I would call him about the urn. At one point, he told me he wanted to hire a boat and bury Dude at sea. I told him I would hold the urn until he was ready. But, in early 2023, we were told that our office was being renovated and that I had to empty my desk. I took a lot of stuff home, but I didn’t want to take Dude. So, I called the seller again and told him he needed to pick up the ashes. He agreed to come, but just couldn’t get to me, so he told me to dispose of Dude and say a little prayer. This past June, we got a message telling us that anything we left behind in our desks would be discarded, so I bit the bullet and left Dude in the desk and whatever they did with him, they did with him. Rest in peace, Dude.