In Memory of Sydney
January 1995 - March 2004
Handler: Nancy Harwood
"Sydney was a black and rust
Doberman Pinscher. She had been a Therapy Dog for over 5 years.
She was the sweetest most
sensitive dog I have ever owned. We visited Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Elem.
Schools and schools for disabled children and a facility for blind and
mentally challenged children.She knew who needed her most in all of these
facilities, and that is where she automatically took me.She was content to lay
on the floor and let a blind, disabled child just pet her for 30 minutes or
more. In a nursing home she would gently put her feet up on a patients bed and
lay her head on them , and the comfort she gave those people was miraculous.
Sydney was my constant shadow
and my best friend. I will never have another like her. She was born to do
Therapy Dog work. She never complained and was always ready to go to the next
person no matter how tired she was.Sydney passed this on to her nephew Eddie
before she passed away. She taught him everything he knows and he misses her
as much as I do.
Sydney was diagnosed with
Dilated Cardiomyopathy the end of Dec. 2003 and lived until March 2004.Saying
goodbye to her was the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. She
excelled at obedience, agility and just plain love.I worked at a vet clinic
when I got Sydney, so she pretty much grew up there. Everyone from the
receptionist to the doctors loved her dearly. She greeted everyone that came
in and checked out all the animals, but was sweet and quiet and laid on a
blanket in the office most of the time. She was a blood donor many times and
always fulfilled this job with courage and dignity. My biggest wish was to
have her tested for Disaster Relief, but that was not to be. I miss her more
than I can express, but she lives on in my heart." Nancy Harwood
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