Goodbye, Sophie
My little dog Sophie lived a big dog’s life. She scrambled up mountains, forged rivers, swam in Lake Tahoe, and surfed Pacific Ocean waves. She also loved cruising in the car, perched on my lap or right beside me.
Our lives are shaped by our relationships, which can last for an instant, a season, or a lifetime. Every dog owner knows the acute pain when a long season of their lifespan comes to an end with the passing of a dog who was a constant source of love, comfort, fun and joy for many long years, through good days and bad. Each knows the feeling of gratitude for a life that is so effortlessly given to love, no matter what. Dogs don’t sweat the past, worry about the future, or carry malice in their hearts.
I think about how much smaller and less happy life would be without dogs. My daughter once asked me what the smartest animal was. I told her it was dogs. They are the only animal sleeping on 1,000-thread count sheets all over the country.
There is so much suffering and tragedy in the world that the life of a single little dog might not mean much, but it meant a great deal to me. She was my friend through all things. She helped me raise my children, and taught them about the qualities of kindness and gentleness.
Sophie showed them that you didn’t have to be big to be tough, and that little didn’t mean taking guff from bigger dogs. She was a lion and a playmate to her much bigger-sized brothers, Tucker and Teddy. She was the leader of her pack, who went nose to nose with a rattlesnake, and didn’t back down. I’ll miss her more than I can say, and I know her dog brothers will too, as well as her human siblings. I suspect they will never meet a bigger dog.
During my life I have stood in places like Auschwitz, and wondered how God could exist. Other times, I have stood in places of such ephemeral beauty, and wondered how anyone could not believe that God didn’t exist.
Sometimes people who are skeptical of a higher power demand proof. I don’t have any, but for me I think music, nature and dogs are strong evidence of something transcendent. There is a purity of love that can manifest through all of them, which is divine.
I know Sophie’s love was pure, and her life well-lived. She had no ambitions beyond being my dog, and I am grateful for the immense place she filled in my life. I will miss her everyday for the balance of it.
Goodbye, Sophie. I love you.
I know exactly how you feel Steve. Your loss brings tears to my eyes. My life, like yours, has been shaped by the love of dogs. I remember my old dogs reception when I came back from my very tough military misadventures (months in the hospital) &, well I’d been gone for three years and as I limped into the house she started yelling and screaming and running around me. Never could a Vet get a better parade.
I will be thinking of you, and as I read your columns, I will hope you’ll be okay.
All my best,
James
..... as I get older (79), I have to plan for my dogs.... Before, I lamented that we outlive our dogs, but now, .... I must know that I could easily go before my last dog, and must think WHO would be the best friend to her, and put in my Will. Thinking of you and Sophie.