My parents got Sofie on Craigslist for $50 from a sketchy backyard breeder 14 years ago. Our old man, Hershey, was getting weaker, and the chihuahua mix, Penny, needed a friend for when he was gone. She was 12 weeks old max, had a gut full of worms, and was only happy if she was in the lap or the arms of a human.
Her first few nights were spent in a box next to me on the couch. I was up and down all night to take her outside or put her on my chest when she cried. When she wasn't on my chest, and I closed my eyes for a bit, I put her back in the box, but I made sure my hand was in the box with her so she knew I was right there. Sleep was sparse and light those nights, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. There was no greater privilege than to be the hand in the box.
Because she was raised by a chihuahua mix, Sofie thought she maxed out at 15lbs. She did not. At her healthiest, she was 85lbs, and when she got old and the lupus caught up with her, she was 100lbs. That didn't stop her from crawling into your lap, though.
I moved back to my home state in 2021, but every time I visit my parents, she comes charging in with that husky yell to greet me as though I'd never left. When she made her nightly rounds, sleeping on each bed briefly to make sure we were all breathing and safe, I'd wake up to find her next to me, as I did before I moved out. When I sat on the couch with food or dared to crinkle a cheese wrapper just slightly too loud, her fat ass was right there to tax me for her guard services.
My mom texted me on Saturday and let me know that Sofie stopped eating. She's 14 and has lupus. I knew this was coming. When I visited my parents out-of-state last month, I made sure to thank her for letting me see her one more time. I told her I loved her, and knowing that I probably wouldn't see her again, told her that I'd see her in the next life.
Today, at 4:30 CDT, Sofie will be escorted across the rainbow bridge to find Hershey. She will be free from the confines of an aging, disease-riddled body. There will be no more medication and no more pain. There will be endless squirrels to chase and Whataburger fries to steal.
And one day, when the bell tolls for me, my eyes will fall closed for the last time in this world. When they open again in the next, they'll fall on Sofie, lying beside me, waiting for me to wake up.
Until we meet again, Sofie. I love you.