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Linda Gordon and her dog\u00a0Brixton takes photos with Miss California Tianna Clark during the Winter Walk at Union Square in San Francisco in 2023. Brixton died in December 2025 at age 12 and will be remembered in a memorial Spril 11at Pier 23.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Santiago Mejia\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n
When Brixton died in December, the golden retriever took a piece of San Francisco with him.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by his human, Linda Gordon, for 12 years until his final diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma, the very good boy was a regular at celebrations throughout the city. Whether patrolling Golden Gate Park during the annual Outside Lands music festival in his ranger uniform to serve as the event\u2019s resident therapy dog or strutting at the gay Pride Parade decked out in rainbow stripes, he was both a selfie magnet and a reassuring presence for anyone who needed a moment of comfort amid the crowds. With his affectionate temperament and love of people, he seemed born to be a service dog, thriving on the attention.<\/p>\n
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Linda Gordon adjusts her therapy dog, Brixton’s, costume at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco. October 1, 2023.<\/p>\n
Lizzy Montana Myers Special to The Chronicle<\/p>\n
\u201cHe touched so many lives,\u201d Gordon told me in a recent phone call. \u201cHe was everywhere. People thought he had a doppelganger, we covered so much ground. It was a grand love affair and adventure for 12 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Now, on what would have been Brixton\u2019s 13th birthday, Gordon has planned a celebration of life for her beloved companion at Pier 23. The memorial is set for noon-3 p.m. Saturday, April 11, appropriately on National Therapy Dog Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among the event\u2019s planned speakers are Sister Roma, Broke-Ass Stuart and representatives from organizations with which Brixton was affiliated, including the San Francisco SPCA and San Francisco International Airport, where he long worked as a therapy animal as part of the SFO Wag Brigade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Brixton at Large patrolling Outside Lands music festival, where he was a popular therapy dog.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Linda Gordon<\/p>\n
Friends and fans are invited to share their memories, and all are welcome to bring their dogs.<\/p>\n
A Celebration of Brixton: Noon-3. p.m. April 11. Free. Pier 23, S.F.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gordon is still curating performers and speakers. She\u2019s also happy to bring on more volunteers to help with the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n A Go Fund Me page<\/a> originally set up to cover costs of Brixton\u2019s medical care is still open and has raised more than $30,000. Donations are still being accepted. People can reach out to her through the Instagram account @brixtonatlarge.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Brixton came into Gordon\u2019s life as a 6-month-old puppy. Naturally at ease with people, she said \u201che was like a king ascending his throne\u201d whenever she took him out to events.\u00a0<\/p>\n Often seen in costume, he came to have an extensive wardrobe themed to just about every holiday, Bay Area sports team and civic occasion. Images of Brixton on social media with admirers became a ubiquitous part of local culture.<\/p>\n Brixton was also a regular at happenings at the Ferry Building, mobbed like a celebrity at street fairs, and met Mayors Willie Brown, London Breed and Daniel Lurie.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Brixton with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.\u00a0<\/p>\n Linda Gordon<\/p>\n Along with Gordon, Brixton even threw the opening pitch at a San Francisco Giants game in April 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n Not all dogs are meant to be in the spotlight, Gordon concedes, but \u201cBrixton knew that was his destiny. He knew if he put it on the persona that it attracted attention, and he loved the attention. He would hold court like a celebrity.\u201d<\/p>\n In the months since Brixton\u2019s death, Gordon has grieved deeply. Occasions such as Super Bowl week and Tulip Day in Union Square remind her of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n She\u2019s grateful that, before his veterinarian put him to sleep at sunset in Crissy Field, she was able to bring him around to the places he loved and he could be with his fans one more time.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIt was beyond touching to see the depth and breadth of what he\u2019d done over the course of his life,\u201d Gordon said of the memories people have shared with her. \u201cMany times it was quiet things out of the spotlight they remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond the celebration of life, Gordon hopes to create a more permanent memorial for Brixton. She wouldn\u2019t turn down a statue or a street named for him, but her dream is to find a site and an artist to create a mural to Brixton where people can learn his story and continue to take photos with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brixton at Large, the beloved San Francisco therapy dog who was a regular presence at events around the city with his human Linda Gordon for 12 years. Brixton will be remembered at a memorial service April 11 at Pier 23.<\/p>\n Linda Gordon<\/p>\n Thinking about Brixton, that tribute feels fitting. We live in a world filled with monuments to humans, to battles won and markers of history. But what about commemorating the animals who often make our lives so rich?\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year offered ample evidence of how a dog, a cat or even a reptile can touch San Francisco In addition to grieving Brixton, there was an outpouring of rage when a Waymo vehicle allegedly struck and killed beloved 16th Street feline mascot Kit-Kat, and it seemed like the city collectively mourned the loss of the California Academy of Science\u2019s adored Claude, the albino alligator.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n When I have my doubts about humanity \u2014 and these days, I have many \u2014 I am reassured that we can\u2019t be entirely lost as a species because our capacity for loving and protecting animals. We are often better people with animals, whether or not they are ours. In my times with Brixton, I watched him bring that out in people.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was so honored when he came into my life,\u201d said Gordon. \u201cI knew I had to share him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0San Francisco is better for having known Brixton.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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