Sydney was born in El Dorado, Arkansas
on 4/18/96.
When we went to pick her up she was the happiest puppy in the litter. Very playful and full of energy. We decided to take her over her litter mate because she took the check from us and ran around with it –
must be the one!
She was our “brown eyed southern girl”. She loved to play ball, chase the frisbee – great mouth-eye coordination, go for walks and go swimming. She learned a few tricks along the way too – our favorite two were to put a treat on her nose and not let her get it until we said “ok”. She usually caught it in the air. Then there was her way of saying “please” -which was a silent bark when she wanted a treat, to go for a walk, or play ball.
She was a very affectionate girl and
just loved to greet everyone that came
to see her!
Sydney had quite a few playmates in her younger years in Little Rock including Sammy the black lab, Lucy the weimaraner, and Bogey the schnauzer and she loved it when we arranged play dates. During camping trips with her friend Sammy they would swim, chase and get chased by ducks and even went on boat rides with Sammy’s parents – great fun! She loved the water! One time when we told Sydney we were going on the boat, she saw the boat coming near the shore and took a running start from the campsite with us screaming for her to stop. As the boat landed on the beach, she jumped from over the front of the boat and landed on the glass window, then pulled herself over the window and into the back of the boat – an incredible jump with her air born for about 15 feet. Jumping from piers and into
pools was also great fun – no fear!
Most of the time she would wait for us to say it was okay to jump in the water but every once in a while she would jump in before we told her it was okay. She was just so excited and a little mischievous! She also loved the frisbee and would be so happy when she caught it that she would end up destroying it because she whipped it around so much. Which is why we ended up switching to tennis balls for toys. She didn’t destroy them as easy as the frisbees.
Sydney had a significant change in lifestyle when we got her buddy (little brother) Sampson – although she loved him until her last day, their relationship got off to a rocky start. Sampson was a stray that we decided to keep after he followed Julie home during one of her runs 10 years ago! Let’s just say that it took a few weeks for Sydney to accept Sampson into her home. There was no question who was the queen of the castle. Despite Sydney’s dominate ways, Sampson loved her very much and will probably miss her more than any of us will ever know. One cute thing that she learned was to “kiss” Sampson on command with nudges and quick licks on his face. She was a softy at heart!
Additional life adjustments happened as our children were born. Larissa (9), Conner (7), and Cameron (5) had a deep bond with Sydney and really started to appreciate her the past couple of years. They will miss her very much, but have great memories with many early morning licks, licking fingers after dinner, and playing ball. Even with hip pain and advanced age, Sydney adored the kids and never once made an aggresive move despite tail tugs, ear pulls,
and floor hugs – only big kisses!
Sydney really was our “first baby” and will never be forgotten. Saying “good-bye” to her was one of the hardest things that we ever had to do. We love you girl and know that you are in a better place – probably catching a frisbee or swimming right now.
With Love,
| Sydney |
| John and Julie Wnek |