January 6, 2006

Sydney's story all began the week before Thanksgiving when a friend found a very pregnant Labrador/Terrier mix running across a busy street in South Phoenix. Being the kind person that he is, he and his wife could not let her continue to roam around knowing the puppies were about to come into this world.

Due to my experience fostering dogs for Paw Placement, I offered to take her in. My genius husband designed this dog a fabulous apartment in the backyard where she could have her puppies. That's when we named her Sydney after Sydney, Australia.

Sydney loved her doggie apartment and spent most of her time sleeping and eating. She was with us just about a week when she went into labor. The puppies were born the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

While I was very scared, confused and worried about the pups, Sydney knew just what to do. She cleaned them and nursed them incessantly for the first several weeks.

Two of the puppies were off to a rough start and we visited the local emergency vet nearly every day. Thanks for the great care they received and the invention of antibiotics, they are now all healthy and getting along very well.

Here's the run down . . .

Madrid (brown, named after Madrid, Spain) - Madrid is the sweetest little girl. She is calm, quiet and enjoys naps.

Athena (littlest one, named after Athens, Greece) - Athena acts just like the baby. She likes to sit in your lap and have her belly rubbed. Athena gave us a bit of a scare in the beginning but has taken a huge turn for the better. We're so proud of her.

Cusco (white with brown spots, named after Cusco, Peru) - Cusco is the moody one. She likes to run backwards and forwards (it's really funny) and chew on everything. She has beautiful blue eyes and is the first to master the 'sit' command.

Amalfi (light brown, named after Amalfi Coast, Italy) - Amalfi acts like the only boy. He's friendly and runs right up to you when you pay him a visit. He's always happy, loves to eat, play, and tease the other pups.

Dunk (white and brown, named after Dunk Island, Australia) - Dunk is super, super sweet. She never cries or complains and likes to climb in my lap for snuggles. She is learning to play by teasing my big dog Zeus

London (all white, named after London, England) - London has a beautiful white coat. She is sweet, happy and likes to lick your face when you hold her.

Sydney (mama, named after Sydney, Australia) - Sydney is just the most loving gal ever. The minute she sees you she flops over on her back for belly rubs. She likes to snuggle and loves food!