By Kevin Smith
I understand firsthand how hard it is to lose a beloved dog. There’s often a misconception that holding on to their memory might keep us stuck in the past. In reality, maintaining our connection and celebrating our love for them, despite their physical absence, can be incredibly healing.
Tomorrow, we’ll be celebrating Sophie’s birthday. Even though she’s no longer with us, April 21st will forever be her special day. It’s the day we honor and remember her. After all, Sophie was a fan of a good party!
Sophie crossed the rainbow bridge at the end of August last year, so this will be the first April 21st she won’t be here to celebrate. Her birthdays used to include a cake, a new toy, a visit to a dog-friendly brewery, and, on occasion, a pretzel or two. My husband and I do love to spoil our dogs, especially on their birthdays, so please don’t judge us for our little indulgences. To be fair, she only had a pretzel for a photoshoot once, and she didn’t even eat it all. But that’s a story for another day.
Abby and Maggie are likely up for a Sophie-style birthday bash, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for those traditions just yet. Instead, I plan to honor Sophie in my own way.
I’ll start the day with coffee in her custom paw-print mug and snuggle with Abby and Maggie on Sophie’s favorite chair. If the weather is nice, we might enjoy some time in the backyard. Sophie loved her big backyard so much that sometimes we couldn’t get her to come inside. The afternoon will be spent reminiscing through thousands of her photos. Apologies in advance to my social media followers—I’ll probably share some of my favorite snapshots of her.
Continuing a tradition I began after Sidney and Ginger passed, I’ll be making a donation to a dog-related non-profit in Sophie’s honor.
And who knows? If I’m up for it, we might even head out to one of Sophie’s favorite dog-friendly breweries. If you spot us on April 21st, feel free to join us in raising a glass for Sophie. She loved meeting new people and always enjoyed the pets and attention from strangers.
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