She was there when we got engaged.
She was there when we got married.
She was there running after bears and boars on our hikes.
She was there flying off the boat and swimming her heart out during our lake days.
She was there when I found out I was pregnant.
She was there when I went into labor.
She was there when I came home from the hospital after two D&Cs and she was there when I miscarried at home. She provided me with more comfort than I could ever put into words. Dogs know.
She was there giving us the side-eye when we brought home yet another baby brother.
She was there, curled up in her dog bed in my office as I worked, serving as the best furry coworker in the world.
She was there on my bad days.
She was there on my good days.
She was there when we moved six different times, getting in the way, putting her butt on me while I packed boxes, and adjusting to our new homes like a champ.
She was there, pulling me along as I trained for my first half marathon. And she was there grabbing a tennis ball, begging me for a round of fetch 2.5 seconds after our 10 mile long training run.
She was there on every single walk, always trotting on the left side of the sidewalk or road. Her side.
She was there on our vacations.
She was there at the beach. Our little water dog.
She was there, shaking her ears and waking our babies.
She was there for endless rounds of fetch where watching her run and sprint was like watching sheer joy on four legs.
She was there, my forever best friend, when we moved to places where we didn’t know anyone.
She was there, refusing to sit or lie down on hard surfaces, waiting for a couch, bed, pillow, towel or blanket before she’d relax her little princess body.
She was there, standing at the top of our bed, staring at us, waiting for us to lift up the sheets so she could curl up underneath them to sleep with us every night.
She was there, a little grumpy in the mornings until she eased into the day.
She was there on my lap in the front seat of the car during every road trip.
She was there, pressing her warm body against mine when I climbed into bed with a book at the end of the day. She made reading at night with her against my belly one of my very favorite parts of every day.
She was there, standing in my office window, wiggling her body back and forth when she saw us drive up the driveway.
She was there, flying out of the house, whimpering her happy high-pitched whimper (and sometimes peeing a little!) when her favorite people came to visit.
She was there watching MilkBones and traditional dog treats drop to the floor whenever a kind person would try to reward her. Meat and cheese treats only for the princess, please.
She was there, always kicking our butts at the Hand Game.
She was there, sniffing us out on the trails when we’d take off and play hide-and-seek.
She was there, climbing up on top of my body every day, placing her face on my face in an effort to be as close as possible.
She was there, always making me feel better, the scent of her body and her warm presence helping me realize everything would be okay simply because she was there.
She was there, between me and Ryan, our perfect third wheel, the very best dog, for 13.5 years.
She was there. And then she wasn’t. But somehow she always will be because we will never forget our Sadie girl.
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This was such a beautiful tribute to Sadie. I’m so sorry. She was definitely the most loved dog there ever was! She will rest peacefully after a life well lived with you. Lots of love.
What a beautiful tribute to your third wheel Sadie. I have an 11.5 year old vizsla Grace and it made me laugh at all their similarities and quirkiness that is a vizsla thing.
I am so sorry for your tremendous loss I know she is missing you as well.
Thank you for sharing your memories
Katie
I am so sorry for your family’s loss of your beloved Sadie. As a longtime reader, I always enjoyed seeing pictures of her and hearing about her antics. I especially loved when you shared about her birthday challenges! I’m happy that you have so many memories of her. I think you’ll find that in time, they will carry you. We had to say goodbye to our cat a few years ago after 10 years and it was so hard. At the time, I made a photo album of all of our favorite photo memories of him. Now we enjoy looking through it with our kids and sharing stories about Harry. Thinking of you and sending love.
So, so sorry Julie. What a beautiful post about Sadie. Always enjoyed seeing her throughout your blog over the years. Will be praying for you and your family.
I am so very sorry julie. What an amazing life you gave to Sadie, and what wonderful memories she gave to all of you. I am so glad that she was able to meet all three of your boys. I know you will always have a framed photo of her in your house, every single day, and you will think of her every single day.
Oh Julie. This was beautiful. I cannot even begin to understand the pain and loss you must be feeling. Our prayers got o you and your family. Lots of love.
I’m just sitting here in a puddle with my heart aching for you. I’ve been there, too many times. So many of us have! There’s never enough time with them, no matter how long they are here. They should really be immortal.
I’m so glad you found Lap of Love. They are such a godsend. A local veterinarian where I am (greater St. Louis area) offers this in-home service and I am convinced (along with many of my dog friends and fellow dog rescue volunteers) that she is an angel who walks the earth.
I just want you to know how grateful I am that you’ve shared your Sadie with us over all these wonderful years. And I want you to know that her passing and your celebration of her has made me realize something a little sad. For the last few years, I’ve struggled with weight regain and have avoided being in ANY photos, including those with my own two hearts-on-four-paws, my 11-year-old Roxie and my 6-year-old Zeke. I was embarrassed about how I looked, and still am.
Seeing all of your love-filled photos with Sadie over the years makes me know in my heart that I must let that vanity go. Because they aren’t here long enough to waste a single moment NOT capturing the joy of living a full life with them. Thank you for sharing your story and your photos and your love of this darling girl. You make a difference.
Wishing you, Ryan, and the boys all the love and peace in the world. Godspeed and run free, Sadie girl. You were well and truly loved.
So sorry for your loss. Pets are our family too. You gave her a great life. Awesome photos of her, thanks for sharing. What a lucky dog she was to be part of your family.
And she was there on the blog…thank you for sharing Sadie with us over the years. I am so sorry for your loss.
I’m so sorry for your loss Julie. As a fellow dog mom and having gone through something similar just a couple months ago, I understand the pain and heartache. Sadie was one lucky girl to have had you as her family! She truly impacted your life in ways you can’t explain and no amount of time is long enough. I truly believe dogs go to heaven, so hold on to the promise you may be united once again! Praying for you and your family. ❤️
This is the sweetest tribute. I’m so sorry for the loss of Sadie.
Julie! This is a beautiful tribute. And I am sending you all the love and support for your loss. Sadie sounds like a magnificent creature and family member, and she will always be remembered that way!
Oh Julie I am so sorry for the loss of your best girl, Sadie. Please take comfort in knowing that you were the very best family to her and she felt your love every day.
I’m so incredibly sorry for your loss. Loosing an animal that has such an impact in the family is excruciating. However, you’ve had your heart filled with hundreds of memories of Sadie. Sadie will be playing fetch etc., for an endless amount of hours up in heaven!
E
SI am so sorry for all of you! I know how special she was to you and everyone that both knew her (both in real life and on the blog)! This made me tear up as well as reading through some of the comments! Cherish all your memories with her as she will always be with you! I have a 10 yr old lab/Great Dane mix and just found a new growth on her and waiting for her vet appt to get it looked at, so this is hitting me with all the feels. Hoping it’s nothing but you never know.
I pray for your comfort during this hard time. Dogs truly give us unconditional love and we are so lucky they choose us.
Julie – I know how much Sadie meant to you and your family and my heart goes out to you all during this extremely difficult time in your lives. I’m sitting here with tears pouring down my cheeks as I read this post and know how much you are hurting. Losing a pet is one of the most difficult times for a pet owner. Take time to cry and cherish all the memories you had with Sadie. She will always be in your hearts.
I am so sorry for your loss and cried along with you today. Dogs are the best.
I’m so sorry for your loss. We all loved Sadie through your blog. Nothing is quite like losing a fur baby.
Crying with you today for a dog I never met. Wow what a wonderfully full life Sadie had. She and your family are so lucky to have all those amazing memories together. She will forever be in your hearts.
I am truly sorry for your loss. You gave that dog a wonderful life.
My heart is broken for your family. I know how big this loss is. But she had an extraordinary life with you, and you with her. How blessed you are with so many amazing memories. Sending you love and a huge hug ❤️
Sending so much love in the sad loss of Sadie </3 You’ve captured her spirit beautifully in this post. Know that it is okay to take your time with grief- no need to get over anything on any timeline. Grief is the price we pay for love, and I know how much your family loves Sadie. I promise your girl will live on in my memory, and I know she’ll be forever loved in yours. Rest In Peace, sweet Sadie.
Julie, I’m so so sorry. Thank you for sharing a piece of Sadie with us for all of these years.
I’m so incredibly sorry Julie; you gave her such an incredible life for those 13.5 years.
Julie, I’ve been reading your blog since the beginning & you gave Sadie the most incredible life a dog could ever dream of. I’m so sorry for your loss. Praying for your sweet family during this time.
I am so very sorry for your loss.
I have been reading your blog for probably 10 years now (!!!), and Sadie was always a big part of it. I cannot imagine what you are going through right now, and understand all you want right now is Sadie cuddles because you are sad. Dogs truly are the best, and we don’t deserve them. She lived a great life!
Julie, you guys seriously were the best dog parents ever! You treated beautiful Sadie like gold and she had a wonderful life! She also had a longer life than any larger-breed dog I’ve ever known — you should feel so proud of the quality and quantity of her glorious life! May her memory be a blessing to you all!
Such a beautiful tribute to an equally beautiful creature. She was fortunate to have a family that recognized her as an integral part of their lives and who allowed her to live the type of adventurous and loving life that the Vizsla craves. I know the size of the hole in your heart – I lost my best friend Sam in March. I’m thankful every day to have known and loved him for 17 years. Sadie will always be with you.
Julie, Ryan, and boys,
Sadie was such a wonderful dog. I loved reading about her through the years. My heart is sad to read this entry. You are in my thoughts.
I am so sorry. xo
The only thing you have right now is time. Time will heal. It’s so cliche but ever so true. One day, you will find yourself laughing and telling the sweetest Sadie stories without balling your eyes out and feeling that deep emptiness that comes from losing a pet. My deepest condolences go out to you and your family.
Julie, this is a beautiful tribute. I know how hard this was to write. Thank you for sharing your beautiful girl with us all these years. She has been a joy to watch. Prayers for you all!!
Julie,
I read all of it, my heart felt every single post you made about Sadie. My wife and I have experienced that same love by wonderful family dogs, and cats too. We have done Feline & Canine rescue for over 28 years. Dozens of dogs and 10X more cats have come into and left our lives. Every single one we lose rips our hearts out. There are some that bring tears when I look at their pictures. Some gone now over a decade.. some just a year. Some we had 15 years, others just a short time. Loving a pet like you and your family do, same way we do is hard.. exceptionally hard. But, the love and joy they bring into our lives and the love we give them is worth it. THEY KNOW.. without a doubt.. THEY KNOW we love them.
I pray the Lords comfort to all of you in Sadie’s loss.. hold dear those precious memories.
What a beautiful tribute to Sadie, and what an amazing relationship you shared. I lost my best girl four years ago, and the grief of being without her still sneaks up on me. My very best to you and your family during this difficult time.
What a beautiful tribute to Sadie. I didn’t know her, but I love her anyway. Dogs are so special. Rest In Peace angel girl.
Oh Julie. I am so sorry for your loss. You and Ryan gave Sadie such a beautiful life full of love and adventure. Praying that you and your sweet family find comfort during this difficult time xoxo
Julie I am so sorry!!! I am sitting at work with tears streaming down my face, my heart aching for you. I know this is coming soon for us as well as our senior dog is having quite a few medical issues. I cannot think of a better tribute to your fur child than this right here. Sending prayers and hugs from the PNW.
Sending hugs to all of you. What a beautifully written tribute to Sadie’s life with you. She was there and will always be a part of all of your memories. Thank you for sharing with all of your readers what every dog’s life should be. Sadie was a part of everything and loved as a family member – as it should always be. Sadie only knew love and what it meant to be part of a loving family her entire life. ((HUGS))) to each of you as you begin this grief journey. May the happy moments you shared with Sadie bring much comfort to each of you.
She will continue to live on forever through your boys’ memories. As they grow up, hearing them tell stories about her will give you comfort and peace. My children write notes, letters, and draw pictures for ours who crossed over two years ago. They talk as though he is still with us and it makes me feel and know that he is. 💜
I’ve cried through all of your recent Sadie posts, and today was no different. I know the pain you’re in and it is one of the hardest losses to endure. You and Ryan and the boys (and your entire family) gave her so much love and a beautiful life. I know she gave so much to each of you, too. Sending your family so much love and comfort from afar.
I’m so sorry to hear of your loss! Your Sadie looks so much like our 7 year old boy Vizsla! Her antics are so similar to ours: ears flapping, needing to sleep under a blanket, LOVES sleeping under the covers when we let him, endless energy, loving warm sunshine and boat rides. May your AMAZING memories bring you peace.
I’m so very sorry for your loss. Lots of love and prayers for you and the family.
Julie, I am so so sorry for your loss. Losing a beloved pet is one of the most painful experiences. Sadie was so well-loved and taken care of by you. I hope you can find some comfort in your memories of her <3
Julie, this is absolutely beautiful for your precious little girl. Losing a furry family member is so incredibly hard, and hurts our heart so deeply. Sending so much love to all of you ❤️
I’m so sorry Julie! Sadie had such a full life and was so loved!
So sorry!!! Hugging my pup a little tighter today!! Dogs are part of the family and it’s truly a huge loss. Keeping your family in my prayers ❤️
My heart hurts for you – I also have a very much loved 13.5 year old and I know that our time is also drawing to a close. I am so sorry.
I’m sorry. I am crying with you. I didn’t know Sadie personally but I loved her. She is still with you, just like you said. I am truly sorry. <3
I’ve been reading your blog for at least a decade and even though I’ve never met Sadie in real life, I count her among my most favorite dogs. I’m utterly heartbroken for your loss. I’m so very truly sorry.