The University of California, Davis’ School of Veterinary Medicine staged the 2022 Doxie Derby earlier this year, an amateur dog race where hundreds of cute dachshunds gathered to compete.
The race is intended to be entertaining for both humans and puppies, but the tenacity of one of the race’s older competitors was anything but amusing.
She goes by Sophie. Age 14 applies to her.
Alex Cohen, a Ph.D. student and creator of Tiny Snek Comics, was in attendance last April as Sophie and her fellow competitors were introduced ahead of the race.
Seeing as how Sophie was an older dog, Cohen might have had his doubts about her performance at first — but it soon became clear that what Sophie lacked in foot speed, she more than made up for with dogged determination.
Surprise: Sophie didn’t win the race. But she did win the hearts of all who watched her.
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
Cohen told The Dodo, “To watch such an aged dog successfully make her way across the finish line was incredibly motivating.” “All the other doxies had finished this race, and the whole auditorium really rallied for Sophie to make it. The audience went berserk as she eventually lumbered over.
Sophie may not have taken home any awards that day, but one thing is for certain: she deserves ALL the goodies for her display of tenacity and courage.
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