Sidney McRandall

When we adopted Sidney, we didn’t realize at the time we were essentially adopting a “therapy” dog for our son, who was born two years after we adopted her.

Our son has several neurological/mental health disorders. She has always been his comfort and joy. He would call her “Sissy” and any time he was dealing with big emotions, he wanted her by his side. They truly acted like siblings and she tolerated way more than she should have.

Myself and my husband will never be able to provide for our son what Sidney was able to provide for him. Having to watch him say “goodbye” to his only sibling and his best friend has all been very heartbreaking.

Sidney was our protector. She made all of us feel safe. Her absence makes our home feel empty. I’m also starting to realize how much she cleaned up the crumbs on the floor…

Unfortunately, her health declined very rapidly. The end of August she had her bi-annual exam and, of course, was her awesome healthy self.

Within two months, she began becoming very ill, stopped eating and had several accidents in our home. At the end of September we found out she had cancer, which started in the liver and spread to her lungs, among other places. She had lost 10 pounds in two months. We made the heart wrenching decision to do what was best for her and end her suffering on October 9th. She would have turned 12 on November 28th, 2020.