March 26, 2025
By: Alexis Schonberger

March 26th, 2025 marks one year since Pogo’s death. It wasn’t planned. His quality of life wasn’t dwindling. He just woke up that day, and his heart couldn’t hold out any longer. Five months prior, Pogo was put on medication for his enlarged heart.

Words cannot describe the love I had for Pogo. He was my best friend, my twin, and my child. For the whole eight years we spent together, we only spent about one week apart. Otherwise, we did and went everywhere together. TJMaxx, Hobby Lobby, and having lunch at dog-friendly restaurants were some of our favorite pastimes. He made it possible for me, his mother with anxiety, to get on a plane a few times a year to visit family up north. And how wonderful he was with traveling. He laid across my lap, quiet as a mouse on the plane, and patiently awaited snacks when we ate in the airport restaurants.

I brought Pogo home on December 28th, 2015, and finalized his adoption a week later; from the SPCA Albrecht Center in Aiken, SC. The staff there wanted to make sure he got the best home, so they let us have a one-week trial before finalizing his adoption.

I remember vividly the day I first met him. It was around a week or so before I brought him home when my grandmother and I decided to visit the shelter. We had yet to visit the new site and thought we would just stop in to look around. I was looking at the cats on the right side of the lobby when I noticed a little face peeking out from one of the smaller rooms in the cat area. I took a closer look and noticed it wasn’t a cat but a dog. I asked the woman at the front desk about him, and she said, “Oh, that’s Sprout. He’s not up for adoption yet, but you can go in there and visit him!” So I did.

As soon as I kneeled down on the floor, the tiny dog climbed onto my left thigh, standing there as I greeted him. And not even a minute later, he licked my face. Oh. It was in that moment that I fell in love with him.

Over the eight years I had with him, he was there for me at every sad or happy moment. He was there when my three past dogs had to be put down, he was there for every panic attack, and he was also there when I brought home my two current dogs: Sally and Baby Belle. As I write this, I’m awaiting the newest episode of Daredevil: Born Again, and I’m reminded of when I spent three whole days binge-watching the first three seasons just over two years ago. And who was perched on my lap as I watched? Pogo. And how I wish he was here to see Daredevil’s story continue; as well as ours.

 

 

Alexis Schonberger is an SPCA Albrecht Center adopter, supporter and mom to pups Sally and Baby Belle.