Sydney- 1995- 2009

Sydney was probably the smartest dog I’ve ever known.  In somewhat-typical JRT form he would sit on the sofa in the midst of our conversations, calmly looking from person to person as they spoke like he was about to say something.  And no, he didn’t really play chess, but it wouldn’t have surprised anyone if he did.

He’s lucky he made it to his first birthday though.  As a pup he committed that common and usually fatal JRT error of charging across the road at an unsuspecting squirrel, slamming headlong into a passing car and knocking himself senseless.  The dog was fine but the humans involved were considerably shaken by the incident.

He was my sister’s dog for the first 7 years of his life and in that period enjoyed life on a four-acre farm south of Windsor, freely mingling with the other farm animals, occasionally trotting down to the next farm to visit his other doggie friends, and regularly tormenting his old buddy, Ebony, the resident horse.  It was almost comical to see this 16 pound dog trying furiously to bring down a 1,200 pound horse, but he was determined and Ebony displayed infinite patience, only trodding on him once or twice as Syd worried his fetlocks.

He became my first “rescue” when my sister had to find a new home for him and despite the transition from country life to the city of Toronto , he enjoyed himself immensely for the next 7 years.

He was very sick for the last year of his life but put such a brave face on it that even his vet wasn’t aware of how ill he was.  On the last weekend of November he made his final voyage to Windsor to stay with his old Mom and Dad, who knew what needed to be done.  My last image of him was that of Sydney sitting in my brother-in-law’s lap, home at last and happily licking the face of his “Daddy”.  He spent his last 24 hours snuggled with his old family, eating meatloaf and spending one more morning with his old buddy and nemesis, Ebony, before his final journey down the Green Mile.

He is missed by his Rescue siblings Raleigh and Suzie, with whom he enjoyed many fine hours, and his dozens of human friends and admirers.

Jim Lawson , 4 December 2009