Students pet Brixton at Large at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep in San Francisco in December 2024. The golden retriever died at age 12 last December after touching countless lives as a therapy dog.
Gabrielle Lurie/S.F. Chronicle
Brixton the therapy dog visits Paws-itively Summer at Thrive City in San Francisco in July 2023. The golden retriever was memorialized Saturday at Pier 23 in San Francisco.
Benjamin Fanjoy/For the S.F. Chronicle
Brixton attends Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in October 2023 with Linda Gordon, his human companion.
Lizzy Montana Myers/For the S.F. ChronicleDozens of people and dogs gathered at Pier 23 in San Francisco to celebrate the life of Brixton at Large, a beloved therapy dog who died in December.The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously declared April 11, 2026, as Brixton at Large Day citywide.Brixton’s ashes are being scattered at favorite Bay Area spots so his presence remains throughout the region.
San Francisco dogs donned tutus, bows, rainbow fleeces and raincoats to pay their respects to Brixton at Large at the golden retriever’s celebration of life Saturday.
The famed therapy dog died of cancer in December after more than a decade as a fixture of San Francisco’s festivals, parades and street fairs. Dozens of the canine and human admirers he amassed along the way gathered at Pier 23 to celebrate Dog Therapy Appreciation Day and what would have been Brixton’s 13th birthday.
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Undeterred by rainy weather, the attendees crowded inside Pier 23 Cafe, where they drank “Sir Brixalot” cocktails and traded pins and stickers of Brixton’s smiling face. The walls were lined with photos of Brixton in some of his signature costumes, which ranged from a park ranger uniform to a full set of hospital scrubs.
San Francisco drag icon Sister Roma emceed the event, which featured Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, writer Broke-Ass Stuart and representatives of the many organizations that worked with Brixton, including San Francisco International Airport and the San Francisco SPCA.
The last to speak was Linda Gordon of Oakland, Brixton’s owner. She wept as she remembered the dog she called “Mr. San Francisco,” the “Doggy Lama” and her “one-of-a-kind mystical unicorn.” Gordon said she adopted Brixton at 6 months old, and he became a therapy dog just two months later.
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“It was all he knew and all he ever wanted to be, until the very end,” Gordon said. “His very last days were packed, every minute saying goodbye to all the people he loved, while still making as many new friends as he possibly could.”
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Undeterred by rainy weather, attendees crowd inside Pier 23 Cafe to drink “Sir Brixalot” cocktails and trade pins and stickers of Brixton’s smiling face.
Lucy Hodgman/S.F. Chronicle
Brixton cozied up to San Francisco Mayors Willie Brown, London Breed and Daniel Lurie and threw out the opening pitch with Gordon at a San Francisco Giants game in 2024. He also led SFO’s Wag Brigade and made regular appearances at city schools as part of the SPCA’s animal therapy program.
Brixton’s gift as a therapy dog was his ability to sense when people were in distress, Gordon said, “just like a superhero.” During their 12 years together, he tugged her toward those who needed his comfort the most, whether they were panicking in tattoo parlors or crying in airport terminals.
“Brixton was a professional therapy dog,” said Amanda Remington, whose French bulldog, Hans, worked alongside him. “He knew how to work a crowd and get everyone’s attention. His fashion sense was top-notch. He taught Hans a lot.”
Pit bull-Dalmatian mix Pearl, a fellow therapy dog, seemed confused to see Brixton’s owner Saturday without her dog in tow.
Lucy Hodgman/S.F. Chronicle
Katherine Murphy’s dog, Pearl, wore a red tulle ruff around her neck. A fellow therapy dog, the pit bull-Dalmatian mix was Brixton’s good friend, Murphy said, and seemed confused to see Gordon on Saturday without her dog in tow.
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“Pearl and Brixton used to work together a lot, and we would go places to make people happy,” Murphy said. “He definitely made a big splash in person.”
Mandelman pointed out Brixton’s “serious pretty privilege” as he announced that the Board of Supervisors had unanimously adopted a resolution declaring April 11, 2026, as Brixton at Large Day across San Francisco.
Many speakers devoted part of their remarks to Gordon and the deep bond she and Brixton shared. In the first months after Brixton died, Gordon felt like she lost her purpose along with him, she told the Chronicle. Planning a farewell party worthy of Brixton’s colorful, exuberant life has brought that sense of purpose back.
“I was living like a mole in a hole,” Gordon told the Chronicle. “It was the only thing that got me motivated.”
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Mae Powell performs Saturday during the celebration of life at Pier 23 Cafe, where the walls were lined with photos of Brixton in some of his signature costumes.
Lucy Hodgman/S.F. Chronicle
Although the rain forced the party inside, it was “just as sweet and wonderful,” Gordon said, adding that she was touched to find that Brixton’s friends and fans were still thinking about him a few months after his death.
Gordon’s latest project has been scattering Brixton’s ashes at some of his favorite spots — among them Stinson Beach, Ocean Beach and Crissy Field — so the golden retriever can remain as ubiquitous around the Bay Area as he was in life.