I was working at the local shelter the first time I saw Sophie. She was laying in deathly silence in one of the stray kennels. A big black dog and I was in love again. When I heard her story and learned she was considered "unadoptable" because she was 12 years old and incontinent, I stated, "Well, I'll adopt her."
Totally relieved, staff cautioned me this would probably be for hospice. I just smiled. By that time, Sophie and I had talked. She said we'd have two or three years. We had three. During that time, Sophie relished her role as the "fun police." Whenever the younger dogs would dash into the back yard and start to play, Sophie would hurry behind them, barking insistently until they stopped. Then she would look at me and snicker, while the younger dogs would beg me to make her stop.
Toward the end of our time together, Sophie developed a tumor at the base of her tail that wouldn't heal. She tried to make me promise to help her cross the Rainbow Bridge when the time came, but I couldn't. We had pulled off one miracle and I wanted one more. Finally, emaciated and ill, she refused to leave the vet's office, insisting it was time for her to go Home. I reluctantly agreed, as she knew I would, and she was gone in an instant. Only the survival instinct in that Giant Schnauzer body, bred as a war dog, kept her hanging on. Broken-hearted, I took her body to be cremated.
That is not the end of Sophie's story, which will be continued in the follow-up book to this one, which I am currently working on. She will be back--and we will share more experiences together!
Available in digital format for 99 cents:
https://www.amazon.com/I-Want-Have-Heart-Dog-ebook/dp/B01EIXIY20
Available in paperback for $5.99:
https://www.amazon.com/I-Want-Have-Heart-Dog/dp/1497496438
