Sydney

We had to say goodbye to our Sydney yesterday.  We have seven years of memories, but there was room for so much more.

We had been on the lookout for a Corgi for several months.  On a trip back to KC over the 4th of July in 2004 we found the perfect dog.  She was small for her breed, had the sweetest face and the most beautiful sable coloring.

Syd on her first day with us

Syd turned out to be the perfect dog for us.  She had the bladder the size of Texas and could hold it longer than a human, which was perfect for two working people.  I don't recall her ever having an accident in the house, even those first few months in a new home. 

Sydney was pretty particular about her toys.  She didn't like to play with balls or anything rubber.  She much preferred a Frisbee or her soft toys.  She loved her carrot, the flat pig and of course her elephant that lived outside.  She got to be an expert of grabbing that elephant out of mid-air.  

Syd and her elephant at our first home in Chicago

She knew that if I was putting on running shoes she might be getting a walk out of the deal.  She would get really excited, bouncing and running around waiting for us to get the leash.  And if you said "walk", watch out!  She would be waiting by the door and running to find you if you didn't come fast enough.  As soon as we walked out the door she would be pulling us along down the sidewalk, we were never fast enough for her.  Even though her little legs couldn't take her very far, she loved a good walk, even if she had to be carried home. 

She loved the snow.  We would have to dig a path for her in the winter in the backyard, otherwise she would get lost in the one or two feet we would accumulate each winter.  It didn't stop her though.  She would roll around and dig her nose into it.  I guess all the hair was good for something!

It took Sydney a while to warm up to James.  She was jealous, and wasn't prepared for her "first place" status to be trumped by a baby.  This little creature who started crawling around on all fours really freaked her out.  We had a couple incidents, when James wasn't as steady on his feet, where Sydney would growl and once she even nipped at him.  I was hopeful that she would get over her insecurities once he was bigger and walking and running without falling.  And sure enough, they turned into great friends, especially the past year.  James loved to play with Syd, throwing her elephant for her in the backyard ("My turn!" and "Okay, your turn Mommy!").

James and Syd meeting

As much as we loved her, she did have some crazy, neurotic behavior.  She was scared of pillows.  She never once laid on the personalized dog beds I bought her (it found a new home with my mom's Corgi's).  She hated riding in the car, but that did not stop us from taking more drives than I can count between Cedar Rapids and KC and Chicago and KC.  She has probably left her mark at every rest stop on I-35 and I-80.  She didn't like to eat her food out of a bowl, she always carried it into the living room to eat it off the carpet.  She would go into crazy Corgi mode, running laps around the yard at full speed, or running through the house, up and down the stairs and around in circles.  She was a funny little dog.    

We could tell something wasn't right with Syd a couple weeks ago.  A trip to the vet and a lot of tests later we had a diagnosis of lymphoma.  We knew that all those things she loved to do and that we loved about her wouldn't be possible any longer, and we made the impossibly difficult, but right decision, to say goodbye. 

We love you Syd.  Thanks for the memories. 

01.29.04 - 06.03.11