Loving Sydney was one of the great joys of my life. Losing her has been such a shock that I hope that by writing about her, I will receive some sort of closure. Sydney's life was far too short, but it was one well lived.
She came to us by blessing from a friend of a friend. Sydney arrived the summer Chris and I purchased our first home; July 6, 2006 at 15 weeks old. I remember picking her up. I had been told she was a puppy, but I was not prepared for the LARGE puppy that we were greeted by! Her paws were huge! She was an instant companion to Timber who loved her right away.
She was a traveling dog. She went with me to New Hampshire a few times and even had the chance to go to Georgia two summers ago. Here is a picture of us in Deep Creek, MD.
She loved to swim and play fetch. While we were in Georgia, she swam everyday.
She was a goofy fool, but always so accommodating...
Here we had shaved her for the summer because she had so much hair!
I had the privilege of training Syd at Petsmart shortly after she came home, but I'm convinced she didn't need it. She never needed a leash and always came on command. She was smart, loyal and obedient.
One of the things that makes me most sad is knowing that Sydney will only be a picture in an album when it comes to the memories of my baby girls. She was so excited when we brought the girls home but was very cautious and gentle. She loved Lauren and Alivia but sadly, I know they will not remember her like I will.
On Sunday, November 21, 2010, when we woke up, Chris and I knew right away something was terribly wrong. Sydney was hardly moving and aching to go outside. We took her to a local Vet who did a short exam in his office. I was walking the girls in the stroller outside and could hear her screaming in pain from inside. My heart was on the floor worrying about what could be wrong. Chris came outside with her after only a short period of time and told me the vet wants us to go to the Animal Hospital where they can help her.
At the hospital, they kept her for a few hours and she came home later that day on some pain medicine and lots of antibiotics. The vet said that they weren't sure exactly what was wrong but offered Chris the choice of bringing her home to rest and let meds work or let her stay for observation overnight. Chris chose to take her home since he didn't believe that they could do anything more than we could for her. She rested all day Sunday and into Monday. She sat on her chair and slept among the chaos that is now the Ross home.
By Monday afternoon, she still hadn't eaten anything but was drinking water and taking her medicine. She looked a little better. That evening we met Liz for dinner in Cumberland with the new agency that will be licensing us as foster parents. When we returned home late that night, Sydney had left green stains all over the floor in the basement. I told Chris she needed to return immediately to the hospital. I called before he left, to discover that they had not run blood work when she'd been in yesterday. They told me that they would do that right away and probably keep her overnight for monitoring.
Tuesday morning, Chris and I picked her up at the Hospital and took her over to the regular Vet's office. She was looking much better and the hospital was telling us that all the right numbers are improving. They knew she had a very bad kidney infection and there was kidney damage but sounded hopeful that everything would be ok because she was so young and would "bounce back". They told us at the vet's office that they'd keep her for a few days to continue to give fluids and meds. When I got home on Tuesday night, Chris told me that the vet was reporting improvement in numbers and that she'd been a good patient for them.
I left for New Hampshire very early morning on Wednesday with Lauren, Alivia and Liz. Shortly after I arrived, I laid down to take a nap, exhausted from the last few days and the long trip. I had been only laying down for a few moments when my mom came in to wake me and tell me Chris was on the phone. Chris was crying and telling me that "she's gotten worse" and that he was on his way to the vet's office. He tells me that the vet is offering for her to see a specialist but is not hopeful that she will recover from the severe damage to her kidneys. He has made the decision to put her to rest. The vet was telling Chris that Syd was in a lot of pain and not getting better. I am devastated. I've left town thinking she was getting better and now my husband has to bear this burden alone. I don't know who to be more upset for; Chris because he is alone, me because I can't say goodbye, Timber because there's no way to explain to her that Sydney isn't coming home, or the girls who will never remember their faithful companion.
Chris told me later that she didn't look well in the end and that the right decision had been made. It doesn't make it any easier knowing how young she was and all of the things we'd yet to do with her. What is customary in this event? We have no funeral or memorial service, yet this was a companion that we saw every day...there seems to be no closure. I know only time will heal this sadness in my heart but for today, it is fresh and deep.
I know that almost every dog owner would tell you that theirs is a special dog. I had two and would tell you the same. Sydney was extraordinary. She was obedient, playful, smart and receptive to a person's emotions. Even at her very sickest, she would ask to go outside instead of having accidents inside. When she did have to go inside, she always went into the basement instead of upstairs because she knew that was more acceptable. She was always accommodating and would only take what you offered; never expecting more than you could give. She was a tireless protector of the girls. She slept with them when they were small and wouldn't let anyone around them without knowing it was ok first. She lived for belly rubs and love from others. To say she will be missed would be to severely misrepresent the hole she will leave in my heart.
Rest well my friend, until we meet again...
1 comment:
I'm so sorry Ross family. Losing a pet is losing a member of the family. I know they girls will hear fabulous stories about how well Syd and Timber played together and how gentle they both were when the girls came home for the first time. I hope Timber copes as well. Love you all.
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