This Lake Norman dog didn’t have long to live. Her owners found a way to immortalize her

When Cyndi Eller thought there was a chance to have her beloved black Lab-mix Sophie immortalized on a can of NoDa Brewing beer while also raising money for the Humane Society of Charlotte, entering the contest seemed like a no-brainer. All she had to do was submit an adorable photo of 13-year-old Sophie and encourage friends and family to vote for her pup via donations.

But when Sophie began to get sick not long after the contest began, when Eller discovered that her sweet dog with the gray muzzle had stomach cancer and not long to live, she shifted gears on her approach to the contest.

“I was like some crazy pageant mom,” Eller admitted. “I was like, ‘She is going to win this contest, no matter what.’ And I’m going to see to it that she has a legacy.”

Every dollar donated counted as a vote for Sophie, and with $5,580 she nabbed Top Dog status — and a place on this year’s NoDa Brewing’s Rescue Brew beer label. In a corresponding contest for felines, Nando was crowned the “Queen City Kitty” with $1,692 raised as the top cat.

In all, nearly $103,000 was raised in Charlotte, with all proceeds benefiting the Humane Society of Charlotte, NoDa Brewing said.

But Sophie never saw the outpouring of love and support. The contest ended too late.

‘She just loved people’

Eller said Sophie was adopted from a rescue that had picked her up roaming the streets of NoDa about 10 years ago.

“They said they spared her from being euthanized a couple times because she just loved people so much,” Eller said.

Eller had just lost two dogs to cancer and was determined to not allow her heart to be broken again when she heard about Sophie. She and her husband just went to meet the dog. But no one ever just meets a dog and walks away.

“Of course, we fell in love with her,” Eller said.

A Lake Norman pup

It took Sophie some time to get used to her new Cornelius home near Lake Norman, though. At first, she hated water, and was “scared to death” of it. But after Eller coaxed her into the lake “that’s all she wanted to do every day.”

“She wouldn’t even walk unless I took her for a swim first,” Eller said. “She got very accustomed to the lake life and swimming and boating.”

Those daily swims helped when Sophie developed arthritis years ago. She progressed to needing acupuncture twice a week to ease the debilitating effects of the disease. And then, her health took a sudden turn earlier this year and she began throwing up. X-rays discovered stomach cancer.

“It was just so devastating,” Eller said. “Just heartbreaking.”

Sophie died June 5. The contest continued until June 20, and Sophie edged out the runner-up dog, River, by just $250.

“We were on the computer to the last second making sure that we beat the other dog,” Eller said. “We were so elated that she won, and it was just an outpouring of love and support from our family and friends — old friends, new friends and neighbors.”

At the Rescue Brew release party at NoDa Brewing on Aug. 4, Sophie was honored with a portrait drawing of her image, along with a medal that declared her “2023 Sophie, Top Dog.” Sophie was there, too, her ashes contained in a carved wooden box.

“It really kind of helped us get through it and put some closure on it,” Eller said.

Eller said she’s applied to volunteer at the Cornelius Animal Shelter to walk dogs, and has no plans to bring another dog into her home. Sophie was one of a kind.

“After this, my heart can’t take it anymore,” she said.

But she knows that she’s said that before, too. Either way, she’ll always have Sophie immortalized in portrait form, and a declaration that for at least one moment, she was crowned Charlotte’s “Top Dog.”