Missing Sophie

Note to Blog followers: there won't be any sarcasm in this post. I'm writing it as a sort of therapy.

On May 16, Jamie and I had to do the unthinkable. We had to put our beloved Sophie Pug to sleep. I say unthinkable because I always hoped that I would not have to make such a decision- not where Sophie was concerned. I wanted her to just go to sleep on her own and not wake up- just like all my pets did when I was growing up. Unfortunately, God and Sophie had other plans.

In March of 2004, my brother called me to ask if I wanted a dog. He knew someone who was trying to find a home for her daughter's Pug. I was hesitant to give her a home b/c I knew with my work schedule that I wouldn't be home with her a lot. I'd also never had my own dog. I grew up with dogs but my Mama fed them and took care of them. All I did was play with them. When Brian said that she was housebroken, I figured why not? So on March 27, 2004, I drove home to meet my new "roommate". Sophie was recovering from bring spayed and wasn't feeling too great. I remember meeting her, and she didn't pay me any attention. I stayed at my parents' house all day, and she had NOTHING to do with me. Then, I got up after supper and said, "OK- I'm leaving. See y'all later." I was completely prepared to leave her with Brian b/c she was so attached to him. Yet the strangest thing happened when I said goodbye and headed for the door. Sophie got off the floor and followed me to the door. She was ready to leave with me! It was crazy how she knew that she was supposed to leave with me. So I loaded her, a bag of dog food, a blanket and toy into the car for the drive back home.


I remember her just laying on the passenger seat and looking up at me. She was like "who are you?" I knew that she had been through a lot in her 4 years. Her previous owner was not a good dog mommy. She would take Sophie places and just leave her with friends or family and take off. If you know anything about Pugs, then you know that they are companion animals. They were bred to be companions for Chinese royalty, and they live to make their master happy. So when she left Sophie with her mom and took off to parts unknown to not return for a long time, her mom found Sophie a new home. A home with me.

Sophie brought me so much happiness. She was content to sleep and explore the house while I was at work. She would greet me at the door when I came home and was super-excited to see me everyday. Things went great until the day I came home to find that Sophie had a bit too much fun. She'd knocked the TV onto the floor and broken some of my stuff. To this day I have no idea how she got the TV on the floor and she never would say. I'll never forgot driving into the carport one afternoon and looking through the window to see her standing on the end table. I started yelling at her through the window to get off the table. I felt like such white trash. From that day forward, she became a crate dog.


She hated thunderstorms and would hide under the covers when thunder crashed. She snored like a person and would take over the pillow beside me. She was a snuggler- on the bed, the couch, the recliner, wherever. She didn't like to be alone in a room. She had to be wherever you were in the house or yard. She lived to make you smile. If you were sad, she would just lay beside you in an effort to offer comfort. She loved to go for car rides. All you had to say was "Car car bye bye" and she was running for the door. At our old house, she would squeeze out the gate and explore the front yard if I didn't watch her. Once I started to miss her and found her sitting in the front yard near the street. A carload of teenagers were calling her to their car. She didn't have her collar on and they thought she was lost. If I'd been 1 minute later, she would have gotten in their car. Little hussy!

Sophie met Jamie and loved him instantly. I figured that if Sophie thought he was a good guy then maybe I should give him a chance. She was an excellent judge of character! She enjoyed mingling with other Pugs each October at Pugfest in Atlanta. She enjoyed the car ride there and staying in a hotel. On our first trip, we came back from dinner one evening to find that she had escaped her crate and was sitting on the AC unit looking out the window at the interstate. She had the most innocent look on her face when we caught her. Once we discovered my co-worker was willing to make her costumes, Sophie began placing in the Homemade Costume Contest. She made a lovely Lucy van Pelt and a most holy nun.

As Sophie got older, she started to deal with serious health issues. The most damaging was a nerve condition that hindered her ability to walk. We watched her walking get worse over a 9 month period. When we realized that she couldn't walk anymore, was losing control of her bodily functions, and just acting so sad, we knew it was time. We took a weekend to say our goodbyes and make some more memories with her. I've never cried so much as I did over those 5 days. When we took her to the vet's office on May 16th, we knew it was over. The staff was very compassionate, and we were with her until the end. It was peaceful, and we were the last people she saw & heard. We had her cremated and picked up her remains today.

I had 7 wonderful years with Sophie. I was her mommy for most of her life and the only mommy that she'll remember. She'll remember me b/c I loved her and took care of her when her first mommy couldn't and wouldn't. She brought so much joy and happiness into our lives. I am a better person for having spent the last 7 years with her. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her and miss her terribly. Yet I know that she is in a better place. She can walk and run, has all her teeth and is enjoying her time in the sun. If you believe in the Rainbow Bridge concept, then you believe that one day you'll be reunited with your beloved pets and cross into Heaven together. I believe. On how I believe.

Sophie Henson Sanders
March 16, 2000- May 16, 2011
Found her forever home on March 27, 2004 and stayed there until the end.