For nearly 13 years, Daniel Esparza and his dog, Sam, were inseparable. The sweet Labrador was his constant companion — loyal, intelligent and endlessly loved.
“She was my companion for almost 13 years,” Esparza told The Dodo. “She was very cute and intelligent.”
But a few months ago, age caught up with Sam.
A brain condition slowed her down, and though Esparza had hoped for one last trip to the beach together, Sam’s health didn’t allow it. One day, she simply drifted into sleep and didn’t wake up.
That final memory they never got to share weighed heavily on Esparza — until he found a way to create it himself.
Esparza works in virtual reality, and before Sam passed away, he had scanned a 3D image of her sleeping.
After losing her, he decided to use that scan to build something extraordinary: a virtual beach where he and Sam could meet again.
Now, whenever he wants, Esparza puts on his headset and steps into that world — where Sam waits for him by the shore.
It’s not quite the real thing, of course — but it still brings comfort to share that virtual space with a pup who’s still very real in Esparza’s heart.
“It feels like a window to the past,” Esparza said. “It makes me happy to know I can remember her when I grow older, when my memory may not be the best. I know she will always be in my heart, and in these memories.”
It may not be the real thing, but in that virtual world, the love between a man and his dog continues — a reminder that bonds like theirs never truly fade.
