Earlier this year, dozens of adorable dachshunds gathered for the 2022 Doxie Derby Amateur Greyhound Race, hosted by the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
The event is designed to be fun for people and puppies – but there’s nothing frivolous about the tenacity of one of the race’s oldest competitors.
Her name is Sophie. She is 14 years old.
Dr. Alex Cohen, student, and creator of Tiny Snek Comics, attended the competition last April when Sophie and her other competitors were introduced before the match.
Seeing Sophie as an older dog, Cohen might have been initially skeptical about her performance – but it soon became apparent that what Sophie lacked in foot speed she made up for with dogged determination.
the best part of @ucdavis picnic day was this 14 year old smuppy at the doxie derby crossing the finish line pic.twitter.com/MMawcnW7a1
— alex (@tinysnekcomics) April 23, 2022
“It’s really inspiring to see such an old dog successfully cross the finish line,” Cohen told The Dodo. “All the other doxies finished the game and the whole auditorium rallied for Sophie. The crowd went crazy when she finally stumbled by!”
Sophie may not have won any medals that day, but one thing is clear – she deserves all the rewards for the persistence and courage she has shown.
