u/BeataBerces

Today, we went back to Állat és Ember and spent another hour there — because we really wanted to make the right decision for Mimi.

For those who don’t know our story yet:
It has been nine weeks since I had to let my soulmate, Sophie, cross the Rainbow Bridge after almost 16 years together.

But Sophie didn’t only leave me behind.

She also left her little best friend, Mimi.

We adopted Mimi from Állat és Ember in Hungary 5.5 years ago.

She came into our lives as a tiny rescue dog, and Sophie became her compass.

She patiently showed her how to trust, how to feel safe, how to be a dog — and how beautiful friendship can be.

For 5.5 years, they walked through life together.

Since Sophie died, Mimi has been missing her terribly.

We know we can never give Sophie back to her.

And we would never try to replace her. But we can give Mimi the chance to have a little companion beside her again.

Yesterday, we met our first candidate, Nico.

Today, we met little Cica. ❤️

And looking at the pictures — and watching them together for an hour — we think she might be the one.

Mimi and Cica were definitely not love at first sight. 😄

No movie scene.

No instant cuddling.

But they kept showing interest in each other.

Again and again.

They observed each other, came closer, went their separate ways and checked back in.

And the more we watched them, the more we noticed how similar their characters seem to be.

Calm. Curious. Careful.

It just felt… promising.

So we made the final decision. 🐾

The documents are prepared, and tomorrow I’ll go with Cica to the vet to complete everything for her passport.

——

August 20th is Hungary’s national holiday, and Budapest will be extremely busy and loud because of the celebrations and fireworks.

The wonderful people at Állat és Ember would rather keep her safely with them until everything has calmed down.

So we’ll celebrate with our family while our dogs stay safely at home, far away from the noise.

And then, on Friday, Mimi and Cica will finally be reunited.

On Sunday, we’ll start our journey home to Germany together.

Sophie can never be replaced.

She was one of a kind.

But maybe the little dog Sophie once taught how to love and trust is now ready to start a new friendship of her own. ❤️🐾

Today I met the little soul who might become Mimi’s new best friend. ❤️🐾
For those who don’t know our story:

A little over two months ago, I had to say goodbye to my Sophie after almost 16 years together.

Calling her my dog never really felt like enough. She was my best friend, my family, my safe place — somehow my dad, my mom, my little baby and my companion all in one tiny body. She was simply one of those once-in-a-lifetime souls.

During Covid, we decided Sophie should have a little friend.
That’s how Mimi came into our lives.
She was rescued in Hungary by Állat és Ember (www.allatesember.hu), and from the moment she arrived, Sophie showed her how to trust, how to feel safe and basically how to be a dog.

For 5½ years, they were best friends.
When Sophie died, Mimi didn’t just lose another dog. She lost her compass.

Watching her grieve made us realize that maybe there was room in our family for another little rescue — not to replace Sophie, because nobody ever could — but to give Mimi a new companion for the next chapter.

And today… I met him for the first time. 🥹
I’m currently in Budapest, and I visited the same rescue organization that once brought Mimi into our lives.

And there he was.

Tiny. Adorable. Curious.

And I think he actually liked me. ❤️

It felt strange and beautiful at the same time.

Sophie is still missing from every part of this story, but somehow this also feels like life gently moving forward around the love she left behind.

Tomorrow is round two.

This time, Mimi gets to meet him.

And my daughter will come with me too.

So tomorrow, the most important member of the selection committee gets her vote. 😂🐾

Let’s see what Mimi thinks of her potential new little brother. ❤️

Two months.
That’s how long it’s been since I lost Sophie. (Viewer Yorkshire)

After almost 16 years together, I still catch myself expecting to see her. Sometimes my heart simply refuses to accept that she’s gone.

But this isn’t only my story.

It’s Mimi’s too.

After the pandemic in 2021, I rescued Mimi (Yorkshire) from a shelter after she’d spent her life being used for breeding. She was scared, unsure, and had no idea what it meant to simply be a dog.

Sophie changed that.

She taught Mimi how to trust again.

How to feel safe.

How to make friends.

How to enjoy walks, naps, and everyday life.

She became her compass.

When Sophie passed away, Mimi seemed lost.

For the first two weeks she wandered around confused, but she still ate.

Then I noticed something that broke me.

Every night, she started sleeping in front of Sophie’s photo.

This is already her bedtime ritual.

Since couple days, her behavior started to change, she searches every room looking for her.

She follows me everywhere, as if she’s afraid of losing me too. And over the last week, she’s begun refusing her food unless I sit with her, hand-feed her, and encourage every bite.

Watching her grieve has been almost as painful as grieving Sophie myself.

After speaking with the rescue organization that helped me adopt Mimi years ago, we made a decision.

Not because we’re trying to replace Sophie.

Nobody ever could.

But because Mimi has always had another dog beside her.

Someone to follow.

Someone who made the world feel safe.

We’re now looking for a small senior dog—quiet, gentle, someone who enjoys slow walks and afternoon naps.

A dog that’s just a little braver than Mimi, so she can find that feeling of security again.

I know a new dog won’t erase our grief.
My intention is behind not that. But maybe… it can help a broken heart feel a little less alone.

🐾✨

Has anyone here experienced something similar with a surviving dog after losing their lifelong companion?

I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences.

————-

For anyone who’d like to understand our story and everything that led to today, here are my previous posts:

• She still sleeps with her every night https://www.reddit.com/r/seniordogs/s/OUZOcSbsUJ

• And it feels unfair to them https://www.reddit.com/r/Yorkies/s/c4bMYh3m4v

• How do you rebuild your identity after lost your sounding: https://www.reddit.com/r/Petloss/s/x3msulRIwl

• Reconnecting to the healing source again https://www.reddit.com/r/Yorkies/s/DuWFNqZCbn

• Happy Yorkie Day https://www.reddit.com/r/Yorkies/s/jiujxP3p3D

• A sense of humor https://www.reddit.com/r/Hunde/s/lwlI0Yo4eO

——🐾✨🐾✨🐾✨🐾✨🐾✨——

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, comment, or simply think of my beloved Sophie. It means more than I can put into words. ❤️

For those of you who have been following our journey with Sophie & Mimi, here’s a little update.

🐾♥️

It’s been almost two months since we said goodbye to my best friend, the best thing I’ve ever get: Sophie.
After 16 years fulfilled, the most beautiful time together her lost was for all of us heartbreaking.

Many of you remember that, right after she passed away, Mimi started falling asleep in front of Sophie‘s photo. At the time, I wasn’t sure what to think. Was it just the spot? Or was it something more?

Over the past weeks, I quietly tested it.
I removed Sophie‘s photo. Mimi left.

I replaced it with a photo of my daughter. She didn’t stay.

I put back a portrait of Sophie -another one - Mimi returned.

I tried a photo of Sohie and Mimi together. She lay down there again.

I don’t know whether dogs recognize photographs. I can’t say that with certainty.

But I do know this:
Mimi misses our beloved Sophie.

🐾🖤

They spent five and a half years together after we rescued Mimi, our now 11-year-old Biewer Yorkshire Terrier, from Hungary. Soso was her safe place. Not just my compass but her healing source. She taught Mimi how to trust again, how to play, how to communicate, and simply how to be a dog after everything she had been through.

Watching Mimi still search for that connection breaks my heart.
We’re slowly starting to talk about opening our hearts to another dog—not to replace Soso, because that will never be possible, but because we’re wondering if Mimi still needs a canine friend beside her.

Grief is never simple. Sometimes it’s not only our own broken heart we’re trying to heal, but someone else’s too. ❤️

I promised to share the funny stories too after I lost Sophie a month ago.

So here is the first one.

Maybe this story describes her better than I ever could, because she was not just loving and absolutely wonderful.
She was something special.
She had humor.

——-

Did you ever see a dog with a sense of humor?
Because mine used to troll toddlers for her own entertainment.

I’m serious.

Playing chase was Sophie’s thing.
Until she was around 10, she loved playing with the little kids at the playground across from our home.

And when I say little, I mean really little.
One and a half. Two years old.
Toddlers who had only just figured out how running works. 😂

And Sophie absolutely took advantage of that.

The kids would try to catch her.

She would stand there and wait.

Watching them come closer.

And closer.

She knew exactly how fast they were.

She would let them get almost close enough to touch her.

The child would be absolutely convinced:
THIS TIME I GOT HER.

And at the very last second…
Sophie would run away.

But only a few meters.

Then she would stop.

Turn around.

And wait.

The toddler would come running again.

Sophie would wait until those tiny hands were almost there…

and run away again.

And again.

And again.

She was trolling them.
There is no nicer way to say it. 😂

And the funniest part was: she clearly understood the joke.

She never simply ran away.
That would have ended the game.
No.
She always ran just far enough to make a two-year-old believe they still had a chance.

She gave them hope. 😂

Waited.

Let them almost catch her.

And took it away at the very last second.

For her own entertainment.

———

I knew that dog’s face for 16 years.
And I swear, she thought this was hilarious!!

You could see it in her face.

The kids loved her.

The parents loved watching them.

And Sophie?
Sophie was having the time of her life trolling toddlers who genuinely believed that this time they would finally catch her. 😂
I’m sorry.
That wasn’t just playing.
That dog had humor.

Please tell me I’m not the only one who has seen a dog genuinely troll someone just because they thought it was funny.

Nobody prepared me for the guilt of grieving this deeply when you are also a mother and a wife.

I knew losing Sophie would be hard.

She was with me for 16 years. I lost her a months ago.
I knew it would hurt.
I knew I would cry.
I knew my life would feel different without her.

But I was not prepared for what this grief would actually do to me.

And I definitely wasn’t prepared for the guilt.

I have a daughter. I have a husband. I have another dog too. I love them more than I can explain.

But right now, I feel like I am barely capable of being a dog mom, a mother or a wife.

Because right now, I feel like a little girl myself.

A little girl who just lost her best friend.

Her very, very best friend.

And I achieved the most sad version of me.

And it feels so unfair to them.

I have almost no capacity. I don’t want physical intimacy. I don’t want to do much of anything. Sometimes all I can do is exist and somehow get through another day without Sophie.

I know this is not my husband’s fault.

And the strange part is that while I cannot give him the physical closeness a wife normally might, I need his hugs more than I ever have.

I need him to hold me.

And he does.

Without expecting anything from me.

With my daughter, I try to cry quietly.

I don’t want to constantly disturb her or make her worry about me. She is just 10.
I don’t want her to feel like she has to take care of her mother.

But somehow she always knows.

It’s like she has antennas.

She hears me, comes to me, and without saying anything, she just hugs me.

And honestly, those hugs are healing something in me.

The only thing I can do right now is keep telling her that I love her. That none of this is because of her. That losing Sophie has just hit me much harder and much deeper than I ever imagined.

I feel guilty because I am not functioning the way I think a mother and a wife should function.

But neither my daughter nor my husband is asking me to be strong.

Neither of them expects me to play a role.

They are simply letting me grieve.

And maybe the hardest thing for me right now is accepting that.

Has anyone else felt guilty for grieving so deeply because there were still people at home who needed you?

Mimi (Yorkshire Terrier) came into our lives from a very difficult situation. She came from a rescue center in Hungary, right after the pandemic, when the German borders finally opened again.

Sophie (my soulmate dog- Biewer Yorkshire) was 10 at the time. Mimi was 6.

Sophie taught her how to calm down, how to feel safe, how to enjoy family life and, somehow, how to be a dog again.
Sophie healed Mimi in her own way. Kindly with deep and true friendship.

They became the sweetest friends. SOS was the best leader I’ve ever seen, and the tiny MiMi her follower.

Sophie’s gentle, kind and wise presence always calmed Mimi’s dramatic little soul.
As Sophie got older, she couldn’t hear anymore and was almost half blind. And then the roles slowly shifted.
Mimi became her ears and eyes. She stayed close to her and gave her the same gentle friendship back, with so much joy and love.

After five years of friendship, Sophie turned 16 and we had to let her go. This just happened on 08 of June 2026.
And since she’s been gone, Mimi sleeps in front of her photo every night.
She misses her too. 💔

Every day, I tell Mimi:
“If you miss her, just think of her and you’ll feel her here again. Close your eyes and feel her. Then she’s right there with you again.”
Maybe she understands more than I think. 💔