What does his dog symbolize for Candy?

There is a lot of symbolism in this novella. Candy is old and his dog is old. They have spent many years together and have aged together. Loneliness permeates this ranch and these two, much like Lennie and George, have each other. Candy and his dog have also outlived their use. Candy’s only consolation is that he is a man and would not be disposed in the same way as his dog but, in the end, he would be told to move on. When Carlson demands that Candy have his dog put down Candy keeps putting it off. Finally when his dog is killed, something dies inside of Candy. The connection and circumstances between the two is some pretty powerful foreshadowing of what is to come for George and Lennie.