08/22/2026
Sadie Mae Higgins
2/14/2006 - 8/16/2026
“Sadie Mae came into my life when she was just six months old, and from that moment forward, we were rarely ever apart.
For nearly twenty years, Sadie wasn’t simply my dog. She was my constant companion, my little shadow, my copilot, my comfort, and one of the greatest loves of my life.
Sadie went to work with me every single day. She had her own little bed underneath my desk, where she would peacefully rest as long as I was sitting there. But the moment I stood up, Sadie stood up too. If I went into another room, she followed. Wherever I was, that was where Sadie wanted to be.
And if I asked, “Do you want to go?”—whether we were getting in the car, going somewhere special, or simply stepping outside—her excitement was immediate.
For the first fifteen years of her life, Sadie’s place in the car was right beside me on the center console. As she grew older, she moved over to the passenger seat, still faithfully riding beside me. She went everywhere with me. She was my little copilot through nearly two decades of life.
At night, we slept together. In her later years, when age made things a little more difficult, she slept in my room instead. Even then, we still needed to be near each other.
Sadie and I shared something that is difficult to put into words because words were never necessary between us. We knew each other. We could feel each other. A look, a movement, a feeling—we understood. After so many years together, it was as though we had our own language.
Sadie loved with her whole being. She gave kisses, cuddled, leaned against me, stayed close and followed me everywhere. She took care of me just as much as I took care of her.
She was playful and full of life in her younger years, but growing older never completely took away that wonderful spark. Even as she approached twenty years old, there were still moments when that playful, spunky little girl would appear again. Amazingly, she still had that spark the night before she passed.
Anyone who knew Sadie would tell you she was the sweetest dog. And she truly was—but she was so much more.
She was gentle. Calm. Beautiful. Loving. Loyal. Affectionate. Playful. Intuitive. She loved everyone she met, and over her long life she created a large network of friends and family who loved her right back. Sadie wasn’t simply part of my world. She became part of so many other people’s lives as well.
But I was blessed with something incredibly special.
I got to be her mom.
What do I miss most about Sadie?
Our everything.
I miss waking up to be with each other. I miss doing literally everything together. I miss looking beside me and knowing she would be there. I miss my little shadow getting up the instant I did. I miss her beneath my desk. I miss looking over and seeing my copilot beside me in the car. I miss her kisses and the feeling of her leaning against me.
I miss the quiet understanding between us that never required a single word.
I don’t simply miss Sadie during certain parts of my day. I miss her in all of them, because she was woven into nearly every moment of my life for almost twenty years.
And if I could tell my beautiful girl anything one more time, I would tell her this:
Sadie Mae, you mean everything to me. You are beautiful. You are sweet. You took care of me. You were the best companion I could ever have asked for, and you can never, ever be replaced. Of all the people in this world, somehow I was lucky enough to be your mom. And I will always believe I was the luckiest person in the world because of it.
There will never be another Sadie Mae.
Almost twenty years with you still wasn’t nearly enough.
I love you, my beautiful girl. Always.”
