Sophie, a PomChi seen pictured here, came
into my life in June of 2009. My friend
of 30+ years bought the pup to keep her male Chihuahua company.
It turned out that Sophie, being
a puppy, was more than a handful. I
first met Sophie around Thanksgiving of 2008.
I made friends with her, but I agreed with my friend that she was
juuuuuuuuussssst a tad hyperactive.
I visited my friend again over
the Christmas holiday and was re-introduced to the whirling dervish.
The next month, January, the
sweetest dog I ever owned passed away. I
was heartbroken and the house was painfully devoid of life. I still miss her to this day.
I made another visit to my friend
for her birthday that same month. My
friend asked if I would consider taking Sophie.
I declined saying that I thought we weren’t a good match.
Then my friend’s aunt, who lived
in the same city as me was placed in hospice and my friend came up to visit her. My friend packed up the car with the two dogs
and headed to my house while she visited her aunt.
When she arrived she got both
dogs out of the car, closed the gate and put them both on the ground. Neither moved. They acted liked they were stuck in hardened
cement.
I called to Sophie and Teddy to
come. Sophie rushed to me. I petted her and, as if by magic, she
discovered grass and trees and squirrels.
She ran the entire length and breadth of my yard.
Soon Teddy saw the delight in the
moment and took off running as well.
It wasn’t until June of that year,
when I was again visiting my friend, that the question was once again asked,
“Why don’t you take Sophie back home with you?”
My friend’s rationale was that it
was shame that a dog so full of life should be confined to the house.
How could I not take her after
such a poignant remark?
I did take her home with me. The next day I had to go to work. When I came home later that evening, she had
chewed the hell out of a wardrobe valet stand.
I had a “come to Jesus meeting” with Sophie.
I went to work the next day and
when I walked in the door after a hard day I surveyed the house for any
damage. Voila! Everything was still intact.
Sophie goes everywhere with me in
the car. She loves the drive-thru at
Wendy’s because she knows she’ll get her own cheeseburger (no onions or pickles,
thank you).
She goes out every morning and
runs figure eights and if, perchance, a squirrel is in the yard a furious
footrace ensues. She never catches one,
but don’t tell the squirrels that.
Long story short, Sophie has
calmed down and every time she visits Teddy my friend comments on how much
she’s changed.
Anyway, since today is National
Dog Day, I thought I’d share a photograph of my fur kid.
Dogs teach us about living each
new day with exuberance and unbridled delight.
They teach us about hanging your head out the car window and letting the
wind blow up your nose, the thrill of a fresh snowfall and the serenity of a
nap in the shaft of the afternoon sunlight.
As we grow old and achy together,
there is comfort in the friendship, selflessness and unwavering loyalty of a good
and faithful companion.
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