Some dogs touch one family. Simon touched millions, and today the world is saying goodbye to him.
Simon, the beloved rescue dog behind the widely followed social media account @simonsits, passed away on July 22 after his owner, content creator Isabel Klee, and her fiance, Jacob Zerhusen, made the difficult decision to say goodbye following his cancer diagnosis.
Simon’s story began nearly seven years earlier when he was rescued from the dog meat trade. What followed was a remarkable transformation.
Despite living with epilepsy, Simon became known as a gentle mentor to frightened foster dogs passing through Klee’s home, helping them learn to trust again, while inspiring an online community that would go on to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for animal welfare causes.
In May, Klee shared that Simon had been diagnosed with cancer after doctors discovered a mass on his liver that had continued to grow following an earlier ultrasound.
As his seizures worsened despite medication, Klee and Zerhusen made the heartbreaking choice, together with their veterinarian, to prioritize Simon’s comfort and dignity.
“I think Jacob and I both have been holding on to this hope that he will have a day where he is just like his old self,” Klee shared. “We keep waiting and waiting and hoping that he’s going to have this day. And it’s just not happening.”
In his final days, the couple made sure Simon’s last moments were filled with joy. They took him on one more hike, cooked him a farewell meal of sirloin steak, hamburger, and bacon, and even hosted a celebration of life in their backyard surrounded by friends who had come to know and love him.
Simon’s legacy will live on well beyond his final days. The recently dedicated Simon Sits Veterinary Clinic will continue providing lifesaving care to homeless animals, while the countless foster dogs he comforted, and the families he inspired to foster or adopt, carry his impact forward.
As rescue group Muddy Paws Rescue NYC put it, “Once in a lifetime, if you’re lucky, a dog like Simon finds a human like Isabel, and it’s magic. And the thing about magic is, even when something seems to disappear, it’s never truly gone.”
Rest easy, Simon. Thank you for showing the world what one rescued dog can do.
Did a rescue dog ever change your life the way Simon changed his community?
Source:
people – “SimonSits Creator Isabel Klee Announces Death of Beloved Internet-Famous Dog Simon After Cancer Diagnosis