When I adopted Sydney, I read his owner surrender form. His second owner reported, “He bit groomers and veterinarians.”
Not a good sign. Not at the age of one-year-old. He must have thought he was still a puppy. He acted like a pup when I met him, jumping all over me, bashing and barking.
After reading a note by the shelter veterinarian dubbing Sydney, “A handful,” I zoomed in on his birth date. January 4th?
“Born on my birthday!” I told him.
From his dirty-white dreadlocks, he looked up as if to say, “What took you so long? I’ve been locked up in jail for three weeks.”
To be fair, the Petaluma Animal Shelter had several good reasons for wanting an experienced dog adoption for him. They wanted to get Sydney a forever home. Good humane shelters want happy dog rescue stories. They want the best for the pets in their care.
At the age of one, losing two homes made him a stressed out dog. Volunteers nicknamed him, ” Sid Vicious.” He liked chewing on fingers!
Also I learned that his first two families failed to house trained him.
These things put him at risk of being returned to another shelter. He, badly, needed a firm hand by someone who had successfully adopted and raised other dogs.
Sydney on his #2 Birthday Photo credit: Alexandra Leeds
So we are off for a happy tales walk on a sunny trail.
No cake needed.
How do you celebrate your dog’s birthday?
This is a great blog, Deborah, and what a darling photo of little Syd Vicious. Happy Birthday to you two!!
he’s a handsome little fellow! happy birthday to you both! i took my gwendolyn to new york for her birthday! posh restaurants, times square, central park, etcetera etcetera etcetera. 🙂 x
What a fab time you two had in the Big Apple!
Thanks Rebecca. We shared a hike on a ridge trail overlooking the east Sonoma hills. The scents of other dogs, deer, raccoons, redheaded woodpeckers, horses and mountain lions put Sydney in dog heaven. Despite the fact my dog looks like a cuddly-stuffed animal, he loves dirt! And he acts like a scent hound, nose down and ears dragging, loving every second.