Sienna by Rita Maria Sansone / Mommy

It’s hard to believe my dancin’ darlin’ is gone. Sienna, my miniature red poodle, waltzed into our lives in 1999 and it was hard to send her to heaven 16-1/2 years later. We got her as a puppy at 11 weeks old. Her mother, Ginger, was also a red miniature poodle and her father, Mozart, was a white miniature poodle. We named her Sienna because she was the color of my favorite crayon from childhood, burnt sienna. Also, it was a nod to my heritage as Siena in Italy has red clay just like Georgia. Unlike an apricot-colored poodle, her red color didn’t fade until her last few years. Her distinguishing mark was a small tuft of white hair on her chest, no doubt, inherited from her daddy. She also had a brown nose instead of a black one. As a puppy, she looked like a plush stuffed animal and children delighted to see her wherever we went. She was the cutest puppy ever!

From the start, she was an alpha dog, stubborn and determined to get her own way and not come when called. She attended training school with a bunch of big dogs and ultimately we hired a private trainer to help her learn the basic commands. What we didn’t teach her became her claim to fame and best trick. She would go nuts when we boiled pasta on the stove, twirling on her hind legs and leaping into the air like a ballerina – all to get a noodle. We gave her performance a command name, “twirl” and she would promptly respond. Besides Halloween, she twirled away at pet blessings and the pet store. We sent her video to America’s Funniest Animals show on the Animal Planet cable station and enjoyed watching her twirl in two clips on the show in costume. At times, children at the pet store who saw her twirl would comment that they saw a poodle dance just like her on Animal Planet. Much to my delight, I would watch their eyes light up and get big as saucers when I told them it was the same dog!

Sienna had more toys than most children, receiving one for each birthday and Christmas. She was not one to fetch a ball, but preferred her plush toys for gnawing and cuddling. She had a favorite lamb that she slept with that became threadbare. She was not fond of riding in the car, but was happy to go to the state park as my favorite hiking partner. If I said, “See the deer,” she would stand at attention watching them in the state park or get excited to see them from the car. Not much of a lap dog, except when needing to feel safe at the Vet, she still wanted to be close by me. So she had a pillow or bed in every room. Her preferred spot was a cushy orthopedic bed in her crate in the kitchen.

Tolerating a variety of kerchiefs, hats, tiaras and costumes for her birthdays and holidays, she was a good sport posing for photos. I sewed her a fancy pink ballerina tutu, a witch’s cape with hat (won second place in the county fair) and a clown costume. She was a fashion plate with an extensive wardrobe of sweaters and T-shirts. How cute she was in her colorful parka and boots during Atlanta’s awful 2014 snow storm.

Throughout her life she had three cat step-brothers beginning with Filbert who was born in 1999 the same year as she. A big fluffy yellow tabby, he was very laid back and had no trouble with her dragging him by the tail – such fun to watch. It was easy to get them to pose together for photo ops. After Filbert’s untimely death, Bianco, a spunky white domestic shorthair, came to live with us. He could test Sienna’s patience, but together they made great models for some of my best staged Christmas photos. After Bianco’s untimely, death, I adopted another kitty, Satchel. He had been an outdoor cat and I was concerned at how he would relate to the elderly Sienna as her health rapidly declined. My role had changed from Sienna’s companion to her caretaker. Satchel was gentle and lay with her as I monitored them via a Wi-Fi camera from my job. He missed her tremendously when she was gone and kept looking for her.

Sienna is the second miniature poodle I have owned and it is hard to imagine life without her or another poodle someday. Every aspect of my life and room in my home remind me of her and how lucky I was to have her share my life. Our God is an awesome God to provide us with pets that offer us unconditional love and devotion. Sienna was one of His finest animals.

 

Until we meet again...