It’s crazy for me to think that Sadie has been in my life for the majority of my relationship with Ryan. (Ryan and I have been together for almost 12 years.) Despite my love for dogs, Ryan had to convince me that we were ready for a puppy of our own back in 2008 (most of my reservations centered around giving a dog the attention they deserve while working full-time), but from the minute we brought her home, there’s never been a doubt in my mind that this incredibly needy, affectionate, wiggly little girl was the perfect addition to our family.
Every single day we can count on Sadie to make us laugh, invade our personal space and remind us to cherish the little things in life. She is so joyful and still totally crazy even at eight years old.
When Sadie was a puppy, a fellow vizsla owner at the dog park told us to expect our new vizsla to slow down a tiny bit around her tenth birthday and at the time I thought they were being factious. Now that we’re eight years in, I wholeheartedly believe them!
Through multiple surgeries, a quickly-graying muzzle and the addition of a new family member, Sadie hasn’t missed a beat and is still always up for a round of fetch (or a thousand rounds…) and a run or walk around the neighborhood.
She’s helped me train for multiple half marathons, snuggled with me when I felt sad or sick and opted to completely ignore the fact that I was growing a human being inside of me last year. She’s our favorite furry lady and I can only pray we’ll be celebrating her sixteenth birthday in eight more years. (Whenever Ryan and I daydream about retirement, we always include Sadie in our plans. She will live forever and ever and ever.)
She may have cost us a couch, a coffee table and a new pair of shoes or two, but she’s given us so much more.
There is something about a dog’s love that can teach us so much. Sadie loves without question. She’s trusts us explicitly. She exudes joy and affection. She looks to us for companionship, exercise, snuggles, warmth and food and is truly a member of our family.
Sadie completely transformed us into the crazy dog-obsessed people we are today.
She’s the best dog in the world and you better believe she’s getting some extra love on her special day.
Happy 8th Birthday, Sadie!
Favorite Sadie-centric Posts
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Happy Birthday, Sadie!!!! 🙂
My Shih Tzu is 10 years old and I can totally relate to everything you wrote! 🙂
Will Sadie get to choose her dinner like previous years?
Of course!!! 🙂 Her birthday challenge is a favorite tradition in our house!
I was wondering the same thing as I was reading this – glad the tradition is going strong! Happy Birthday Sadie!
I’m SO glad to hear this…I finished reading & that was my first // only question.
Hope you’ll share the results. They always crack me up!
I came straight to the comments to find out the same thing!! Happy birthday Sadie!!❤️
I was wondering that too! Where’s Sadie’s birthday challenge?! Happy Birthday, Sadie!!!
We’re doing it tonight!
I was about to write the same thing! I love that idea and we’re going to do that for our pup this year, too 🙂
Haha, wow, us PBF readers think alike!! That was exactly my question! Glad Sadie’s birthday challenge is happening!! Happy Birthday, Sadie!! 🙂
I was thinking the same thing! 🙂
Oh my gosh! I’m new to your blog, and knew you were a vizsla owner, but didn’t realize she was a Sadie! Our first vizsla’s name was Sadie and she would’ve been 9 next month. This brings back so many happy memories of her. We lost our girl when she was 6, but I’m glad that we had her for the time that we did. Now, we have our second vizsla, Beau, who is just every bit of vizsla as Sadie was (lap dog, fun-loving and quirky!). Happy birthday, Sadie!
Aw! Vizslas really are the best dogs. <3
Aw happy birthday Sadie!!! <3
haha happy birthday sadie! 🙂
Happy birthday, Sadie!! Dogs are just the best!! I love my two little ones more than anything and always include them in our future plans too.
Aw happy birthday Sadie! What a sweetheart 🙂
Oh my goodness! I am 30 weeks pregnant and of course, hormonal as ever and just cried reading your post. We feel exactly the same about our pup, Zeek, and can’t wait to see how he’ll be with our little boy due in March! She’s a doll, thanks for sharing!
This is the sweetest! Our little gal is almost 14 years old and she still acts like a puppy sometimes. Dogs are the absolute best. Happy b-day little Sadie!
So sweet! Happy Birthday Sadie (:
There is no question about it, Dogs change your life in so many ways it’s incredible, I would have never guessed until I got one! Happy Birthday Sadie!
Dogs are the best! Happy Birthday Sadie! Enjoy your special dinner! LOL
Happy Birthday, Sadie!
Dogs are definitely something special. I believe my dog will live forever too! As much as he’s a pain in the butt sometimes I can’t bear to think about him not being with us. His love is unconditional!
Happy birthday Sadie! Dogs really are the best. They just add so much to our lives!
Happy Birthday, Sadie!!
My boyfriend has been talking about getting a dog for quite some time. I’ve been wanting one too but knowing that I’m working full time and getting another part time job, I just couldn’t get one myself so when my boyfriend gets one, I’ll give that dog all the love in the world when I’m over at his place. 🙂
I think you mean “facetious,” not “factious.” 🙂
Happy Birthday Sadie!
Awww happy birthday you cute pup! Dogs are literally the best ever and I’m counting down the days until we can get one of our own!
Happy Birthday to Sadie! My Gracie (big old yellow lab) turned 7 today! She gets a cupcake for her dessert tonight!
Happy birthday Sadie!
Any Sadie posts always make me smile. I love her without even knowing her! (and yes, I am a crazy dog person)
I’m a crazy dog person too. Our corgi is so spoiled it’s ridiculous, and I don’t understand people who don’t love dogs! People told me she would become “just the dog” after our daughter was born, but that didn’t happen at all. Yes, I have to give more attention to my daughter than to her a lot of the time, but that doesn’t change anything about how much we love that crazy furball!
Happy Birthday Sadie!
Oh gosh this is making me all teary eyed! I can’t believe how old she is. I can’t wait until I can get a dog of my own, my brother and his wife took their dog Molly to CO when they moved but I felt like she was mine- I miss her!
Happy Birthday Sadie!! Hope you enjoy whichever dinner you choose tonight!
I’m looking forward to hearing more about Sadie and Chase’s relationship! We have 2 dogs (2 & 3 years old) and we constantly speculate about how they’ll react when we have children in the next couple years.
Awww Happy Birthday Sadie!!
I love the love you have for her! I feel the exact same for our 6 year French bulldog. My husband and I have also been together almost 12 years (freshman year, wooo!) and just had a baby girl in the spring. Our frenchie didn’t sense or really notice the whole pregnancy either!
I also have to add that we copied your birthday challenge! Last year she totally chose the McDonald’s hamburger first over the chicken sandwich. Can’t wait to hear what options you guys have for Sadie this year:)
Love that you guys are doing the bday challenge, too! I think we love it as much as Sadie does! Ha!
Aw, it is my dog Sophie’s birthday today too! She says Happy Birthday, Sadie!
This was an unexpected tear jerker! I’m pretty sure I have each of those same pics with my dog, and my husband and I recently decided our dog will live to at least 55!
Happy Birthday Sadie!! I hope you get a long walk or lots of play time today, and a good meal :).
We adopted our corgi 2 1/2 years ago, and he has brought so much joy to life! He is one of my best friends!
Happy Birthday Sadie! May many treats, snuggles and tennis balls be in your future!
AWWW Happy Birthday Sadie! Can’t wait to see her birthday dinner choice 🙂 Hugging my Juno a little tighter today knowing she misses her vizsla best friend back in California.
Happy birthday Sadie! I hope she has fun tonight picking her birthday treat.
Happy birthday Sadie! I’d love to get a dog in the next couple of years, but with my fiance and I both working full-time I feel guilty! Maybe once we have kids we’ll get one!
Wishing the happiest of birthdays to Sadie! As a fellow dog owner, I realize and recognize how important it is to cherish and celebrate our dogs each day, especially on their birthdays! They are not only pets, but family members and I truly hope Sadie enjoys her special day!
Am I the only one who started tearing up while reading this!? We have a 3 year old golden and we also believe he will live forever! Happy Birthday Sadie!
Happy Birthday Sadie!! You exude love and happiness! Here’s to a long and healthy life full of fun, Sadie!
Aw! Happy happy birthday Sadie! I hope you have a super special day fit for a princess!
I love all dogs and don’t see them as just pets. Both of my dogs, haven’t been just dogs, they are part of my family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. <3
Awww! Happy Birthday Sadie! Friday is my sister’s dog’s 8th bday. He’s a giant teddy bear of a German Shepherd & everyone’s favorite family member too.
Happy Birthday, Sadie!!! My border collie will be 8 in July and she too is still just as hyper as ever! One of my friends back home breeds Vizslas! I had a chance to visit one time they had a litter and they were absolutely adorable! I’m excited to see the results of her birthday challenge!
gulp. Omg why am I getting teary over here?!?! A dogs love is something special. Happy Birthday Sadie!
What a sweetheart – and she just cracks me up! And now, based on the comments… I’m, curious about her picking her own dinner game? I’m intrigued. Can’t wait to see an update. 🙂
An update will be in tomorrow’s post!!
We so quickly learn to become dog people, who love our furry family members with all our hearts. My parents refer to my dog Sasha as our sister (baby sister!) and even though she is turning 10 in less than a month, she will always be my puppy and I can’t imagine going home and not seeing her.
Happy Birthday to Sadie! I’ve always wondered – does Sadie love having a fur cousin in Kona? There haven’t been many photos of the two of them TOGETHER… I always wonder how they interact and if they’re just as excited for family time as the humans.
We always joke that they “tolerate” each other for the first 24 hours and then they’re buddies! 🙂 Sadie is definitely the “alpha” in their relationship and gets jealous if we give Kona too much attention, but they definitely get along well!
She has the best facial expressions!! Happy Birthday, Sadie 🙂
Yay for the birthday challenge tonight! I can’t wait to see what she chooses! My husband and I really want to get a dog but we’re waiting until we find a place that allows pets. Until then we’ll vicariously live through other people 🙂
Dog people are the best people around 🙂 Happy birthday, Sadie!
Happy birthday Sadie! Enjoy your birthday challenge! 🙂
Happy Birthday Sadie!! My fiance and I have a 5 month old vizsla that we have fallen so in love with. I couldn’t imagine not having him in our lives now. I was just like you and was hesitant about getting a dog at first, but you would never know it now 🙂
Have you seen this cheesy thing floating around the Internet? (It pops up from time to time.). (Also I call it cheesy and yet it makes me cry and cry because my dog is going to live forever too!!!)
A 6 year old on why animal lives are shorter than human lives:
“People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life – like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?”
The six-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
I love that!! 🙂 Dogs are amazing. <3
Happy Birthday, Sadie! I never thought I’d be a crazy dog person until I got mine. Love her to pieces and can’t imagine life without her now! Crazy what those furry balls of love and energy can do 🙂
Happy Birthday Sadie!!! 🙂
She is AMAZING! I definitely got a little teary-eyed as I read this post, as I can tell you have the same kind of love for Sadie as I do for my dogs!