10/29/2026
Today, under a clear blue sky, surrounded by green grass, and with so many tears and so much love, we said goodbye to our beautiful Freyja. 🤍
Some dogs leave pawprints on your heart. Others leave them on an entire community.
For those who have been part of the TopDog’s family over the years, our beautiful Irish Wolfhound needs little introduction.
Frey wasn’t just my dog. She was a fixture at Muttessori, a beloved member of our team, and a gentle, reassuring presence for countless dogs who passed through our doors.
But perhaps her most special role was one that never came with a title.
Freyja was our resident mom.
Every puppy who came through my board-and-train program found themselves under the watchful eye of our gentle giant. She was the ultimate mother hen, endlessly patient, wonderfully tolerant, and happy to let the little ones climb all over her, pester her, and curl up beside her.
She loved those puppies, and they adored her right back. Even years later, so many would return to our home and immediately go looking for her.
If you ever met Freyja, chances are you experienced her famous lean. All that enormous Irish Wolfhound pressed firmly against your legs, relishing every ounce of affection you could offer. She had so much love to give, and she gave it so freely.
But Freyja’s story began long before Muttessori.
I brought her home during one of the most difficult chapters of my life, after years of struggling to become a mother. I named her after the goddess of fertility, never imagining that just weeks later, I would become pregnant with Kelly.
She was supposed to be the dog I poured my love into if motherhood wasn’t meant to be. Instead, she became the dog who loved the little boy I’d fought so hard to have.
And she never stopped.
When life brought more heartbreak, and I lost two of my beloved dogs within weeks of each other, Freyja was the one who remained. My constant companion, my comfort, and eventually, the most extraordinary training partner I could have asked for.
She became the kind of dog every trainer dreams of having. Loyal, steady, reliable, and so deeply connected to me that working together was its own reward.
She was never the dog I’d originally planned for. She was the dog I needed.
And somehow, even though we had eight and a half wonderful years together, I still find myself devastated and completely unprepared for a world without her.
I don’t know how to walk into daycare without her, welcome another puppy into our home without my mother hen, or watch Kelly grow up without the gentle giant who has adored him since the day he was born.
To our staff, past and present, and every client who stopped to love on her, thank you for making her part of your lives.
Freyja wasn’t just part of TopDog’s. She helped make it what it is.
For a dog who took up so much physical space, it’s impossible to describe just how much bigger the emptiness feels.
Rest easy, my beautiful girl. 🤍🐾
