Sadie was born to parents Lady (golden retriever) and Eddie (miniature poodle) at SwissRidge Kennels in Little Britain, Ontario on September 1, 2007. Small and sweet, female #6 of the litter was soon embraced by her adoptive family, the Smiths. On October 27, Cathy, Craig, Claire and Charlie picked up their darling girl; Sadie was blonde, soft, and already showing her affectionate side, even giving some kisses on her first car ride ever! Cx4 were all smiles as they introduced her to their house at 14 Kingsmill Rd in Etobicoke.
Nestled in her crate (made smaller by a divider at this time) with her microwavable snuggle toy, she acclimatized to her forever home. In her first few weeks (and thereafter, in all sincerity) she was the popular girl in town, meeting all of the neighbourhood friends and family, including their pets! Sadie's best friends were Penny, Bailey, (both part of her Wednesday walk crew with her mom), T.J. and Zoe. She would see them often, and pass other dogs on her nightly Kingsway walks (which, according to her, needed to be with at least two people, otherwise ‘the brakes’ came on).
Sadie also quickly got the lay of the land, enjoying zooming in the backyard (prompted by her ringing the bell on the door to go outside), crawling on to the dishwasher to help out with any leftover food (a habit she maintained from then onwards), and occasionally enjoying some munching of wooden furniture legs as she teethed–all immediately forgiven based on her effervescent and silly personality. Her toys were often played with, especially the rubber supposedly “indestructible” ones. A game she liked to play each day after her sisters got home from school was to attack them with puppy love until they were lying down, and then stay sitting on them until one inevitably had to use the washroom or eat (usually Sadie doing the latter).
On her first Christmas, Sadie started her tradition of being “the shredder,” consisting of her making everyone laugh with her obsession over ripping leftover wrapping or tissue paper and envelopes (after she opened her stocking from Santa Paws, of course, a little beige mantel hanging with her puppy photo on it, years later swapped for a buffalo plaid one with a paw print). Every day felt like a holiday with Sadie around, though.
For her, the best days were ones spent at the cottage. In the winter, falling into the frozen lake as a wee puppy or getting snowballs attached to all her leg fur did not discourage her love of running around the snowy property or running after snowmobiles on the ice (hopping like a bunny through the deep snow, to be specific). In the fall, running through piles of leaves was a fun pastime of hers. In the spring, walks along Baxter Road and up to the Dorset tower kept her busy. In the summer, swimming far to catch her frisbee or chase after ducks offered entertainment for all dock-dwellers (except whoever was deemed rescuer in the kayak, screaming her to safety), especially when Sadie would ‘dry off’ by rolling in the woodchips and zooming around. Every season, Sadie filled her days with energetic joy. She also got well-deserved relaxation in that setting, sitting while staring at the lake as someone was having a drink or reading a book, warming up with her butt by the fire. When the cottage got renovated, she found a new favourite place sitting on the compass emblem in the living room as though it was made just for her. Sadie made an already gorgeous place even more magical and precious.
A year into a long life of love, Sadie had quickly become the hero of every fictional story of Claire and Charlie’s, the subject of Cathy’s photography, and the biggest fan of Craig (the only one who could achieve the puppy’s “excited pee” on his arrival from work). Sadie no longer needed her baby gates and had free roam over everywhere her people went, most notably the couch pillow by the front window (her “tv watching”) at home, and everyone’s beds.
Sadie’s groomer was initially her vet, Royal York Animal Hospital, but after some overly-poodly ‘doos, switched to her longtime groomer, Jacqui at Top Dogs. When her family went away on trips, her favourite person to be cared for (specifically after 2017) was either Uncle Dave (who spoiled her rotten, letting her eat at the table) or Jess, a lovely High Park regular who worked at Pet Valu and loved keeping up with Sadie’s antics.
Sadie loved trips with her special someones; anywhere they went in the car (or on foot, for that matter), she’d want to go, too. She took trips to places like Captiva (for a weeklong trip with Cx4), Kingston (to visit her sissies at Queen’s) and Ellicotville (to see her friend Frankie Sustronk), but simple pleasures like the cottage garbage dump (where she would get treats) made her an equally happy girl.
One of Sadie’s biggest fears was loud noises (particularly thunder, prompting the purchase of a thunder jacket, and fire alarm beeping). When Sadie was about four years old, there was a large storm in Toronto and the backdoor of her home blew open, allowing her to run out and crawl under the gate! After a community-wide search filled with kids on bikes, moms in cars, and frantic searching, little Sadie was found strolling along nearby Bloor Street, likely on her way to the store The Bookmark, which often gave her treats. Grateful tears were shed after a woman found her, called the number on her collar, and she was reunited with her family.
An array of nicknames surfaced over time for lovely Sadie: her middle name Jane (the supposed female version of John, her dad’s chosen name for a male dog), the Bubbs, bubba, BB and, later on, lil’ bear, peach, schmugga boo, and so many more. Any name yielded a galavant over and many kisses to whomever called, classic Sadie fashion.
As days went on of Sadie stories, and nights of dreams of her cuteness, she became known for her bed-hopping; especially in her old age, she made sure everyone got a snuggle and a little lovebug by their feet. The tip toe sounds of her nails on the floor would send Claire and Charlie running the hallway trying to claim her for their rooms. Their little “bed bug” was ever so popular and loved. Wherever she landed, she would hop on and off the bed (and on and off again) to get comfortable, each move allowing for a pick up and hug. Scratches on bedroom doors for one more goodnight kiss and neck scratch (hopefully concluding with involuntary jerks of her leg, the sign of a good scratch) will be forever cherished.
Something else Sadie loved to do to stay young was brain games. Treat-seekers and mazed feed bowls brought her (and her audience) lots of amusement, as did showing her brilliant smarts through tricks (she went beyond the average ‘high five’) and general intuitiveness.
Sadie always knew what to do and who to help. One time, Cathy had brought Claire home from middle school with a migraine. Sadie had kept guard by Claire while she made her way to the couch, as Cathy went over to the Burdon’s to grab something, accidentally leaving the door open… as Claire collapsed in the living room, without missing a beat, Sadie crossed the street, barked at her mom in alarm, and ran back to sit in front of her ill sissy. A loyal nurse and confidante, Sadie also kept close to whoever needed an extra bit of love, whether that was keeping a watchful eye when Cathy had her concussion, comforting Charlie through any and every night alone, and every other moment she was needed. She could lick away any tears, literally and figuratively.
In 2016, Sadie and her family moved to 1830 Bloor St West, a condo with a gorgeous terrace, designed with a grass segment just for the Smith’s little princess. She loved running around there, but even more so down the hallway of the thirteenth floor. Neighbours would surely have known her whereabouts, specifically if she was loudly asking for more food from within the suite. Inside, Sadie filled the rooms with love, cuddling up in her “crib” (a fluffy bed) Waking up to the sight of her in the middle of the night and being graced by her in the morning was a blessing her family was so lucky to have. Moreover, she made every homecoming a wonderful one.
The most exciting thing about Sadie’s new home was High Park, which was right across the street. Her and Cathy spent hours a day exploring new trails, and meeting new people (Sadie’s preference over dogs, generally), making them all smile. She was always the leader of the pack: galavanting ahead but always turning back with a loving, watchful eye. After a big day on the trails (sometimes accompanied by her doggy paul Hugo), Sadie’s leisurely activities at home included laying in whatever patch of sun she could find, tossing pillows off of bed or couches to make a ‘nest’, carrying Clare and Charlie’s socks around like treasure, and squawking her favourite toys (an homage to her puppy toy: a rubber chicken named Henrietta which she loved) to call attention to herself during movie-watching.
Wherever she was and whatever mode she was in (northern gal, city pal, loaft, zoomer,, the list goes on), Sadie was more interested in being around her people than anything: accompany her dad in the office, mom in the kitchen, and her sisters while they were working, reading, etc. Sadie made every task bearable and simply wanted to be included, whether she was with Claire teaching remotely (Sadie’s tricks and smiles were consistently a big hit with all of the students) or Charlie working from home (Sadie was a loyal confidante for all of a psychotherapy clinic’s intake clients).
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