09/08/2026
🌈🐾Celebrating Simon - The Stoic Sherlock of Sniffing
Simon wasn't a flashy guy. He didn't work a room begging for attention from just anyone. True to his Toller roots, he was aloof and dignified with the world at large. Unless you happened to be his mom, Jody, or holding a Stella & Chewy's Wild We**ie. Then, and only then, did Simon let his guard down, making you feel like you'd won the lottery.
I met Jody and Simon back in 2023, when they signed up for one of my Sniff-n-Gos. In 2024, Team Simon landed on my group class waitlist, and after nearly a year of patiently filling in for openings, they finally snagged their spot as regulars in my Tuesday evening rotation in late 2025. Best things come to those who wait, right? Week after week, month after month, Simon showed up—steady, focused, unmistakably himself—while he and Jody nabbed their NW1 title in November 2024 and kept chipping away at NW2.
One of my favorite Team Simon memories isn't even really about Simon—it's about Jody. At the Mystery Sniffer in November 2025, she showed up in full costume, mustache and all, transformed for the day into one half of Team Sherlock Bones. Simon, ever the stoic partner, played his role exactly as he played every role: quietly, competently, and entirely devoted to his human on the other end of the leash. Iconic duo energy, honestly.
Sweet Simon, I so wish you'd gotten your paws on that NW2 title, because anyone who watched you work knew you had it locked in. A lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosis just weeks ago took you from us way too fast, and it stings for all of us, but especially for Jody, who loved you completely.
Thank you, Simon, for proving you don't have to be loud to be devoted. Thank you for the countless Tuesday evenings you shared with me and your classmates, sniffing away in quiet focus and total confidence. And thank you, Jody, for sharing your good, stoic boy with all of us—costumes and all.
Run free in odor, sweet Simon. We'll toast you with a Wild We**ie.
