In Memory of Sydney 10/31/87 -9/17/04/
Welcome to our page. This is a tribute to my darling,
Syd. I rescued him from the streets of Nashville, and in return, he gave me more than I can ever repay. Please see his story below, along with information about some local animal welfare issues. There is also a link to my page of breed rescues in Tennessee at the bottom of this page.
<
<
The Lyles Puppy Mill has been in business again. Despite 3 suspended 1 year sentances and probation, the owner has been charged for a probation violation for having 184 dogs in deplorable conditions - again. The first link below is to the original horror story. The second is to a news article from July 15, 2000.
THE LYLES PUPPY MILL CASE
The Latest on Lyles
SYDNEY'S STORY
In 1995 I was working downtown at a senior citizens center. I was happily planning a vacation to Australia, and saving money towards it.
My neighbors on each side in the apartment complex where I lived had Schnauzer puppies. Being an animal lover, I frequently volunteered to walk and play with these sweet little furbabies. "You should get one" they told me, volunteering the names and phone numbers of their breeders.
"I don't have time for a dog" I told them "and if I got one, it would be an older, housebroken dog from the pound. But I DO love Schnauzers."
Then one day, the receptionist at work buzzed my office. "Can one of you come chase this dog away?" She asked "He keeps running in the automatic door." Grumbling about getting all the unwanted jobs in the place, I trudged upstairs to the lobby. A dirty, smelly ball of matted fur was cowering beneath a chair. Coaxing it out with a treat from the kitchen, I examined it more closely
"This is a Schnauzer!" I cried.
After checking the paper for missing dog ads, and not finding any fitting his description, I put the little one in my car and headed to the vets. They informed me that he would have to have shots before they could bathe him. Grudgingly, I handed over the cost of shots and a bath, and, at their recommendation, a heartworm test.
The heartworm test was positive. Never the less, I took the scrawney and shaved-to-the-skin beastie home with me. I was sure someone would be missing him.
Calls to shelters and the news paper found no one missing a Schnauzer. The little dog happily took a long drink from the toilet, and settled himself on the couch, as if he belonged.
Two weeks passed with no word of anyone missing him. With each pasing day, I found myself growing more attached to the little dog. I inquired about the cost of heartworm treatment, and found it was almost exactly the amount I had saved for my trip to Australia. Mentally kissing my travel plans goodbye, I made an appointment with the vet to begin treatment.
The next morning, my office phone rang. "My neighbor comes to your center", a woman's voice said "and she says you have our dog."
I tearfully confirmed that it was, indeed, her dog. I explained about the heartworms, and told her how sweet I thought he was. She explained that the dog didn't like their kids or the other dogs, and every time the gate was left open, he ran away. "Let me call my husband, and I'll call you back." she concluded.
A long 10 minutes later, the phone rang again. "Well, I guess you've got yourself a dog" the woman said. She explained that he was almost 8 years old, and his name was Ernie. She promised to send me his papers, as he, although neutered, was a purebread Schnauzer.
The papers never arrived. Ernie, in honor of the trip to Australia I never did take, became Sydney (as in Sydney, Australia). The heartworm treatment, although hard on him, was successful.
Syd and I spent happy days rollerblading in the park, taking long walks, or just curled up on the couch together. Whatever I did, he was happy just to be a part of it. He soon showed me that he could "dance" spinning around and around on his back legs, and we won several trick contests.
After 5 years, friends pointed out to me that Syd was getting older, and that I would be heartbroken without him. I decided to adopt another Schnauzer in need, and, after a long search, adopted Annie from Pet Orphans in Atlanta.
After finding two such wonderful companions at a shelter, I found a group that rescued nothing but Schnauzers, and decided I wanted to start on here. A fellow owner of a rescued Schnauzer and I founded Nashville Schnauzer Rescue. Since then, I've added two more bearded babies, Bogart and Rocke to the family, and fostered countless others and helped them find new homes.
That first wonderful 8 year old dog was with me for 9 years. At age 13 he developed back problems and began taking medication. Two years later he developed a serious heart murmur, and a year after that, kidney failure. Finally he developed a growth in his mouth, and was too weak to endure surgery to remove it. He was getting 5 medications daily and fluids 3 times a week, which I learned to do at home, to spare him the trauma of going to the vet that often. In September, just weeks shy of his 17th birday, I had to finally admit that he wasn't getting any pleasure out of life any more, and have him put to sleep. He is sadly missed by his family.
Statistics show that only 1 in 9 dogs born ever find a home. I want to change this. I tell anybody who will listen that a dog is a commitment of up to 15 years or more. Please, spay or neuter your pet - leave breeding to professionals. If you do get a dog, research breeds before selecting one. The one you think is so cute may not suit your lifestyle. Consider adopting from a shelter or a breed rescue, and remember: older dogs have much to offer. Many are housebroken, past the destructive puppy stage, much calmer than a puppy, and bond with families as readily as as a puppy. I've never regretted not getting a puppy. I couldn't have asked for a better dog than Syd.
Email me...
You can click HERE to go to the links page for great infromation on rescues in Tennessee.
graphics based on the artwork of Thomas Kincade
