Our Sydney Girl

Well, our New Year got off to a bit of a rough start.  On January 3rd, we had to put our dog, Sydney, to sleep.  :(  While we were somewhat prepared that her days were coming to an end, it was still so much sadder than I ever dreamed that it would be!

During the last week of December, Sydney's mobility drastically declined.  She has struggled with her hips and back legs for the last couple of years, and the winter has seemed to be especially difficult for her.  After Christmas, we noticed that she would randomly fall while walking, tumbled down the stairs when her legs gave out, and would lay on her back and cry.  It was pretty pitiful.  :(  I felt bad for the old girl!

On January 3rd, we decided that she needed to be seen by the vet.  Wade and I were both fairly certain that they would encourage us to put her down.  We decided that it would be best for the boys if we prepared them and gave them an opportunity to say goodbye.  We took some pictures of them with Sydney.  I'm so glad that we have these pictures of our boys and their first dog.

We also went to McDonalds and got Sydney Girl a cheeseburger and fries.  She was pretty happy about that, and the boys loved getting to feed her.

Wade took her to the vet and the doctor said that she had a progressive neuro-muscular disorder that was causing her to lose the use of her legs.  She could give her medicine to slow the progression, but it would not undo the damage that was already done.  She advised us to let her go and walked Wade through the process.  Wade called to fill me in, and Clayton pushed hard that he really wanted to be there.  He was so passionate, that we allowed it.  He was very mature about the whole process, and I am glad that we let him be there.  He handled it really, really well. 

The vet gave us the option of getting her paw print in clay.  My sweet husband forked over the extra dough and bought the keepsake.  I am really glad to have it.

We miss our Sydney Girl so much.  I'm not much of a dog person, but she was an important part of our family.  Wade and I got her when we had only been married for 4 months.  She has moved with us four times and been at there when we brought home all three of our babies.  She lived a good, long 13.5 years with the same family.  I'd say that is pretty great for a pooch.  :)

Tiny Sydney as a puppy

 Beagles are such cute puppies!

 We were babies - all three of us!

 This was our Christmas card picture in 2001.

 Sydney and Baby Drew

Poor girl got roped into many of Clayton's shenanigans.  ;)

 She was always very happy to see Wade when he returned from a business trip.

 She tolerated our kids so well.  :)

 I'm glad that we threw her a birthday party this Summer.

 If Sydney was missing, we knew to look in our closet.  She loved to sleep next to Wade's shirts.

The jury is still out on what kind of dog we will get next or when that will be.  The boys are pushing hard for a Golden Retriever, but I'm really enjoying taking a break from being a pet owner.  We shall see...  Sydney was a pretty low maintenance dog, and the thought of starting over with a puppy is a bit daunting.  I'd like to get Owen potty trained before I have another little one to clean up after.  ;)  Sydney was a good dog for our family, and she will be missed.