A Second Chance for Sydney

Somewhere between four and six million unwanted pets are euthanized every year in this country. Many of these animals would make great pets, if only they had a chance with the right person. For one lucky dog, named Sydney, Mary Leslie Wilson was that person. This is Sydney’s story.

In 1998 Mary Leslie received a call from a friend working in a vet’s office. Her friend told her about a great dog that had been abandoned there by owners, who could not pay the bill. The dog was about to be euthanized in the next few minutes, unless they could find someone to take the dog. Mary took swift action and brought Sydney home.

Sydney’s education started with basic commands and a few tricks just for fun. At the time, a very hectic work schedule limited the time that Mary could spend on training, but she worked with her new friend as much as she could. Sydney was always a quick study, and a motivated participant in training.

 Sometimes she even attempted self-training. Aussies are known for their amazing herding abilities. One day Sydney escaped from the house, went to the neighbor's pasture, herded their cattle, and moved them to another pasture. To this day, Sydney will lie by the glass door and gaze longingly at the neighbor’s cattle. Hey, a dog needs a job.

Sydney gets a medal for completing her title.

Sydney with her very proud mom.

After retiring from her job as a college professor last year, Mary decided to really devote some time to her old friend.  The two got busy working on Sydney’s performance career. 

They started with a Canine Good Citizenship Class and Certification. The class was a piece of cake for Sydney; she did so well that she has been used regularly as a demo dog, and has performed in costume twice at the Crescent Regional Meeting of the Council on Aging in La Grange. This was only the beginning for  Sydney; she moved on to tackle Rally Obedience.

Sydney entertained the crowd at the Dolly Goodpuppy March Madness Dog Show with a demonstration in Rally Obedience, and completed her rally novice title last fall. She recently completed the 3^rd let of her CD title in Asheville, North Carolina. Good job Sydney.

Unfortunately, Sydney’s performance career is probably going to be short due to an arthritic condition, but she has proven that she had the right stuff all along.  We are proud of Sydney, and of Mary for giving a great dog a second chance. It is too bad more dogs aren’t given the opportunity to prove they are worth the effort.