Let me tell you about the sweetest, most loving dog you’ll ever meet.
I adopted Sophie from a breeder in Gallatin, TN (just outside of Nashville) when she was 12 weeks old. I had just turned 21, and my parents had taken me to Las Vegas for my birthday. Some close friends of ours, the McCullochs, went with us. On the plane ride back, Tyler and I decided that we each needed a puppy! I had been thinking about a puppy for a while, as I was in my spring semester of my junior year of college, and I knew I wanted to have a puppy my senior year, as basketball would be over (the next year), and I would have more time to take care of a dog. I lived in an apartment, and everyone recommended that I get a small dog that weighed no more than 10 lbs. So, naturally, I wanted a lab!
When we arrived back home in Nashville, Tyler and I started researching breeders in the area. We visited a few but weren’t too impressed. We finally found Tom, of Rockwood Labs, in Gallatin, and we both knew he was our guy. He cared so much about his dogs, and he spent so much time educating us about the breed and how to properly train them. Tom had a litter of 7-week-old puppies that were adorable and ready to go home the next week. They were great, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of the other puppy that was housed on the opposite side of the garage. She was so patiently waiting for someone to pay her some attention. I finally asked Tom to tell me about her. He said, “that’s Georgia. She was one of three (out of a litter of fourteen) that survived. Her mom died giving birth. She has been bottle-fed since day one. The other two were males, and they sold pretty quickly, but no one wanted her because she has a kink in her tail. I may keep her for myself. She’s too sweet to let go.” I asked him if I could play with her. As soon as he let her out, she ran into my arms. I knew this was the one I wanted. I asked if he would consider selling her to me, and he agreed. The rate-limiting step, though, was my parents. I was in Nashville for the summer, and they wanted me to wait until I went back to Charleston to purchase a puppy. It made sense—they didn’t want me to train a new puppy in their house! I told Tom I needed to make sure it was ok with my parents, but I promised to call him back. Much to my dismay, they said no, so I called Tom back, with tears in my eyes, and told him that I couldn’t have her. When I hung up the phone, I cried and begged my parents to let me have her. They were not budging. The next day, I had to go back to Tom’s house to pick up Tyler’s dog for him. I took my dad with me so he could see Georgia. Yes, I was using all of the tricks I had up my sleeve. He thought she was very sweet, but still said no. As we drove home, I held Tyler’s puppy in my lap, and my dad was so impressed that she didn’t pee in his car the entire way home. He kept saying, “wow! That guy has trained these dogs not to pee in the car!” Ok, whatever, Dad. I think we were just lucky, but whatever helps my case!
A few days later, Tom called my cell phone to tell me that he had a guy who wanted to come over to look at Georgia and possibly adopt her, but he wanted to give me first dibs. Again, my parents said no. I told Tom to call me if the guy didn’t buy her, because I was still working on my parents! Tom called me later that evening to tell me that the guy didn’t want her because of her tail. I was so excited, and I ran to my dad and told him that God really wanted me to have this dog! (Yeah, I played that card!) My dad finally agreed, because “Tom has trained those dogs not to pee in the car!” I was dying laughing at my dad’s reasoning, but I immediately called him back to tell him that she was mine and I was coming to get her!
Donnie took me in his truck to pick up my girl. As soon as we got into the car, Donnie and I both looked at each other and decided that her name was not going to be Georgia. We decided on Sophie (maybe slightly influenced by my Shopaholic book by Sophie Kinsella lying in his floorboard)!
She grew up to be the sweetest, most loving, affectionate dog. She loved everyone she met. She was always there when I needed her. In times of stress and heartache, she was always there to listen to all of my worries. If Brian and I had an argument, she would listen to me complain about him and then politely let me know that I probably needed to apologize to him. She let me cry on her, and she licked my tears. When I was sick, she would cuddle with me all day. She never left my side for anything. She really had no concept of personal space and would happily follow me into the bathroom and sit ride beside me while I used the toilet. She always needed to be around people. If we had people over to the house, she was the life of the party and hung out in the middle of whatever room in which all of the people were congregated. She hung out with Brian when he sat on the porch to enjoy a cigar, and hung out as one of the girls when I had friends over. She was truly a companion.
She also loved to roam the beach at Sullivan’s Island. In the off-season, dogs were allowed off their leashes until noon on the weekend. I took her there most Saturdays, and she played for hours with about 50 other dogs. She would even swim in the ocean and ride the waves! It only took one time for her to realize that she was not supposed to drink the ocean water!
When I was in pharmacy school, I took her everywhere with me. Charleston is so dog-friendly. JCREW even kept treats behind the counter, and if I would ever go in without Sophie, they would ask where she was. She also accompanied me to late night study sessions at MUSC. No, dogs probably were not allowed in the school, but oh well…it was late at night and she wanted to learn about pharmacy, too!
My second year of pharmacy school, I met Brian. He immediately fell in love with Sophie. I immediately fell in love with Brian when he told me he couldn’t imagine life without Sophie! He said she was the dog he never had, and I knew he truly loved her. She loved him, too, especially because he let her on the couch! Before Brian, I did not let Sophie on any furniture, nor did I let her sleep with me. Well, that quickly changed. We had not been dating long before we adopted Sullivan, and my house went to the dogs! I secretly didn’t mind, as I loved cuddling with them on the couch, too.
Sophie and Sullivan were best friends. He followed her around everywhere and tried to do everything she did. Unfortunately, Sullivan wasn’t quite the athlete Sophie was, but he tried. He would swim beside her all day as if he were her biggest cheerleader. As a puppy, he would curl up beside her and fall asleep. Who wouldn’t find comfort in Sophie?
Anyone that met Sophie knew how much she loved her blanket. She carried it with her everywhere she went and sucked on it. Before her, I had never seen a dog do that. I don’t know where it came from, but it was the cutest thing ever. She did this every day and never grew out of it.
Also, anyone that met Sophie knew how much she loved to eat. She knew when she was supposed to be fed, and she would let you know if you were 5 minutes late feeding her. Every single day of her life, she would jump up and down on all fours when it was time to eat. Imagine a bucking bronco. That was Sophie. In the mornings, I would usually wake before my alarm, and if I rolled over or took my covers off, Sophie took that to mean that it was time for breakfast. She would run to my side of the bed and jump up and down. If she heard the refrigerator door open, you could bet she would be in the kitchen in 5 seconds. When Emerson was still eating in a highchair, Sophie would camp out right beside her and wait for food to be dropped. Emerson quickly learned that she could sneak food to Sophie. Eating was definitely her favorite pastime.
Some people tried to tell me that I wouldn’t love my dogs anymore after I had kids. They were dead wrong. They didn’t know how much I love my dogs. In fact, I think having a baby made me love my dogs even more. Sophie was so good with Emerson. She let Emerson climb all over her, pull her tail, and tug on her ears. She was the best big sister, and Emerson loved her very much.
It’s really hard without her. REALLY HARD. Her passing was so unexpected. She was at the vet the day before for her annual well-check and labs. Everything was perfect. We all knew she had several good years left in her. We do not know what happened. Some say it’s best that it happened this way. We never had to see her suffer or struggle in her old age. We also didn’t have to plan when her last day would be. I would agree, but I also hate that it happened this way. I wish I could have held her one more time and told her how much I love her. I wish I could have prepared myself for the day that this might happen. Either way, it’s not easy. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. I miss her so much. It’s hard only feeding one dog. It’s hard only grabbing one leash when it’s time for a walk. It’s hard that the house is so quiet. My family and friends have been so comforting. They have encouraged me that things will get better and my heart will heal.
She was, and always will be, my firstborn. My baby. My sweet girl. I love you Sophie Louise Baskin Waldron. You are greatly missed and will always be loved very much. There will never be another like you.
