Pretty Angel
{From the 2023 Christmas Newsprint Magazine}
Written by Megin Potter | Photos Provided (unless Noted)
Each day, when Marisa Rahman sits down at her desk, she misses her golden retriever, Sonya, anew. There is a peculiar lightness and chill at her feet where Sonya used to lay, a hollow emptiness, and with it, another pang of grief.
“It’s incredibly sad and hard to be there,” said Marisa, a Salesforce director, who always traveled for work, but today, looks forward to it more just so she can avoid the quiet void left at home since 16-year-old Sonya passed in June.
Pretty & Popular
At just six months old, Marisa and Bernard’s daughter Alexa, a natural animal lover, would excitedly exclaim, “DoDo” (meaning “dog”) at the sight of the neighbors’ huskies.
“Alexa’s first word, even before ‘Mama’ or ‘DaDa’, was ‘DoDo,’” said Marisa. “She always expressed an affection for animals, literally from the minute she could talk.”
Even before she was four years old, Alexa was taking horse riding lessons. After Alexa’s incessant begging, when she was five, the family travelled from their Saratoga County home to Massachusetts for a very special puppy. The instant they saw her, they knew Sonya was the one.
Sonya was named after Sonador, the Spanish word for “Dreamer” and the name of the horse in the 2005 film based on the longshot Breeder’s Cup champion, Mariah’s Storm.
Family Fun
Daughter and dog grew up together.
Shy as a youngster, as she grew, the sweet pure-bred developed a sassy demeanor and fierce loyalty to her family.
When Alexa went for a bike ride, Sonya patiently laid in the lawn waiting for her to return. When Bernard, a Guilderland Central High School teacher, got home from work, Sonya eagerly anticipated their daily walk. When the family went on trips to Moreau Lake (where Sonya could run off-leash) she never strayed out of sight.
As Alexa grew into an accomplished rider with three horses; Attila, Baxter, and Nate, and began travelling with her family to shows, Sonya always accompanied them.
Everyone who met Sonya, fell in love with her. Extremely intuitive and intelligent, she loved attention and affection, nudging your hand when you were near, so you’d pet her.
“Goldens are the best family dog – a lot of people say that, but it’s really true,” said Alexa.
Princess Playful
Sonya’s favorite toy was a cushion from when she was a puppy. So well loved that its stuffing had to be replaced, when told to go pick a toy, she’d always choose the pillow and present it for a rousing game of tug of war.
Keen to fetch the toys and sticks thrown to her, she’d dash in and dive under the water to retrieve them. Unable to tolerate the heat, swimming was Sonya’s favorite past-time.
Sonya would climb the ladder and jump into the pool from the deck. Sopping wet when she came out, she’d immediately roll around in the dirt, so then it was bath time. There was no drying her off when she got out of the bath, instead, she’d dash around getting the whole house soaking wet.
Gingerbread Thief
Normally well behaved, Sonya was helpless when it came to her love of treats. A big beggar, her favorite was ice cream. If you placed a treat on her nose, however, she’d hold it there until you told her she could snap it up.
One holiday, Marisa received a message from her neighbor saying Sonya had escaped the yard (which was protected by an invisible fence) and was munching on the gingerbread house they’d left outdoors.
“That dog had frosting stuck all down her front, just goops of icing everywhere we had to cut out of her fur,” remembers Marisa. “Plus, it was lots of sugar, so she was just bouncing off the walls for about two hours afterwards before she just crashed and slept for five hours,” she continued, fondly adding, “We couldn’t be mad; it was just so funny.”
Saying Farewell
As Sonya grew older, she developed hip problems, and by the time she was 15 years old, needed help walking. By January 2023, she wasn’t eating, and had developed aggressively advancing health concerns. Alexa, now a busy senior at Ithaca College, returned home at least once a month to visit.
In June, the Rahman family chose at-home euthanasia for Sonya.
“It was so heartbreaking losing Sonya. She needed us, and we needed her,” said Alexa.
Their bereavement package included an engraved paw print, which Alexa plans to get a tattoo of as a tribute to her furry family member.
Before Sonya’s passing, on June 8th, Alexa adopted Aurora, a two-year old Boxer/German Shepard mix. The two instantly clicked, love to cuddle and watch movies together. The cycle continues.
