Sophie was, and will always remain, my favorite and wonderful friend.
She was born on May 17, 1991 and we went to get her when she
was 6 months old. I remember that her mother was very big for a shih tzu.
We brought her home to an eager Max who tried to hump her endlessly. It
took a few weeks for us to name her, coming up with such ideas as M-N-O-PP ("emenopeepee").
I picked her name, Sophie, since that's what she looked like. Max finally
raped her one cold morning in the courtyard, and she hated him since that
moment. She gave birth to five puppies on February 28/29th, 1992 (she was
10 months old). Her puppies were (in order): Sylvester, Patches, Mopsey,
Wilbur, and Elvis and at present (Feb 2006), none of the puppies survive. But
she hated Max's guts and was grumpy and short with him for the rest of her life
(he deserved it!). When she was 14, she developed facial seizures on a Saturday,
and by Thursday October 20, 2005, we had to put her to sleep.
It was the most terrible week I can ever remember, and I'll be forever sad that
I wasn't with her when she died. I hope she wasn't scared.
I miss her terribly.
She was a loyal friend who was always eager for kisses, hugs, and love. She liked to sleep next to me with her head on the pillow and her paw in my hand. If I was faced the other way while sleeping, she would snuggle up by my back. She would always get mad at me if I went away to school or didn't come back for a few weeks... she missed me when I left. I remember her smell - it was very distinct to her. And her nose was always cold and wet - she loved to give eskimo kisses. She was kidnapped from our back porch when she was young, and somehow made it home 2 weeks later with scratches and matted fur. She hated to be on the porch after that, and would be very protective of herself when faced by strangers. She had deep eyes, and would stare right into your soul when she looked at you. She hated cameras and getting her picture taken... something that developed later in life. It was difficult to photograph her, and she would always give me dirty looks when I got the camera out. I'm sure she always wanted to be an only child, tolerating Max with minimal effort, and I could understand - I'm sorry she passed before she had time to be the one and only.
But most of all, she was the nicest and sweetest dog I have ever known. I will never love another dog like I loved Sophie, and I hope that I find her when I die.
When she died, we had her cremated. The cremation people sent a condolence card
with Sophie's paw print.
I don't think I've ever cried that hard.
But I thank them for the thought.
I miss you, my dear Sophie.