Sophie's Second Year

Please forgive this short diversion away from the world of healthtech but this is an important day in our household, befitting 21 gun salutes and a flypast by the Red Arrows - though that might send the creature whose significant anniversary we celebrate today scuttling back behind our red sofa.

It was at 0245am on December 17th 2022 that a van drew up outside our West London house and a trembling, terrified little Romanian rescue dog was dumped in my arms. #SophieFrom Romania as she soon became known was so frightened of our house and those that lived there that she retreated to a safe space and refused to emerge for more than a few minutes for the next six months.

Just days after her arrival she was already trending on Twitter, her story somehow striking a chord with thousands at a time when far more serious stories from the Ukraine war to the cost of living crisis were dominating the headlines.

That first year, as documented in my book Sophie from Romania, was hard with long periods when we despaired of making any progress. We ended the year still having failed to persuade Sophie to go out for a walk, although she had come a long way forward in other ways.

It was in late February 2024 that she finally stepped away from our front garden and started to explore our leafy suburb. We took her to our local park on a frosty February Sunday morning and she quickly decided that she liked it. But progress is never smooth with Sophie. After six weeks of tootling off to the park each morning without incident, she suddenly decided to plant her paws the other side of the road from the entrance. There was never any obvious reason - but it began to happen every day and each time we were a few yards further from the park. Eventually we were restricted to a walk around the block.

But while her horizons have shrunk one important thing has improved immensely - instead of being terrified of everything and everybody on our excursions into the outside world she has become inquisitive. Instead of barking nervously she has begun to accept treats from our neighbours’ hands, and when the bin lorry arrives on a Wednesday she hurries past with a sideways glance rather than bolting in terror. She has even begun walking with other dogs and welcoming them into her back garden for a play date.

Life with #Sophiefromromania will never be calm and predictable - but where’s the fun in that? Happy anniversary, Sophie

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