Sydney’s story, as told by her parents (Mom Lee, and Dad Brian)
Sydney is a big, beautiful 12-year-old registered bench setter who came to live with us in February 2024. Sadly, Sydney’s owner had developed dementia and it became clear to her family that she could no longer care for Sydney. SWESR was asked to help find a new home for Sydney. Her breeder flew in from several states away to coordinate her transfer to our care.
Those first few days, Sydney seemed dazed and confused. We weren’t sure if she was deaf, in shock, or perhaps there was something serious going on with her health. She wasn’t particularly underweight, although we knew from the family that she had been fed very poor quality food for some time. Most strikingly, Sydney wouldn’t look at us or respond to our petting or talking to her. She needed to be coaxed to eat. Mostly, she just wanted to lay on her bed. She seemed to have lost all interest in life.
The first order of business was a good grooming. Sydney’s long silky hair was full of mats which needed to be carefully cut away with shears. That took several hours, followed by a long bath. The next day she visited the vet. Aside from needing her teeth cleaned and updated shots, Sydney seemed physically healthy. But emotionally, not so good.
Most striking, Sydney had no interest in walks. While the other setters – Willy, MacDuffy, Bessie, and Eddy – impatiently waited at the door for their morning outing, Sydney would just continue to lie on her bed. We had to put a lead on her and coax her to come along. We loaded her into the car with the other setters and headed off to a dry wash where our doggies run off lead. Sydney would plod along a little way and then just plop down on the sand. We’d give her some time, encourage her to walk a little more, and then just stay with her. The turning point came about a week later. We decided to take a chance and removed her lead once we were in the wash. Sydney started out walking along beside me, slowly picking up the pace, and then suddenly broke into a trot toward the other dogs. She never strayed very far away from us, but that day she had found her first little spark.
Day by day, Sydney regained her strength and her enthusiasm for life. She started greeting us at the door when we arrived home and nuzzling our hands to say “welcome back, where’ve you been?”. Like all the setters who have shared our home, she delights in following Brian around her big backyard as he works in the garden. Apparently she can tell time, as all setters can, and waits impatiently in the kitchen for her breakfast and dinner. Best of all, when she sees us stirring in the morning, she knows her river walk is coming. Now Sydney bounds towards the front door, occasionally knocking another setter out of the way in the process. She loves her free time exploring and crashing around in the bushes, chasing birds, just doing what setters do. And, she’s particularly connected with our youngest setter, Eddy, who is quite sure Sydney must be his mom.
Sydney is our tenth SWESR rescue. She isn’t the first setter who has taught us about resilience and probably won’t be the last. They may arrive frightened, confused, and sometimes, sadly, neglected. But with time and patience, every one of these gentle, sweet creatures reaches back and connects with us. The light returns to their eyes, and they give as much love and affection as we can ever give to them.
Sydney has found her furever home. Who knows how much time she has left. But I think Sydney teaches us every day the meaning of ‘a good life’ – yummy food, a soft bed, a romp in the river, and a few special buddies to snuggle up with. What more could a setter (or a human) ever want?