Saydee was special. I know, everyone says that about their dog but Saydee truly was. She came to us on January 29, 2009. I had wanted a little white puppy and we found her on Kijiji. Eddie said we could go and look and start the process. He wisely brought his chequebook with him because I was planning on finishing the process that evening.

Just before arriving at the breeder’s home - about an hour’s drive east of Ottawa, I was wondering what we would call her. I previously joked that we would call her “Compromise” because I was set on have a little white fluffly lap dog and Eddie wanted a big dog. We learned about the Golden Doodle breed - a cross between a poodle and a golden retriever after meeting this massive white fluffy 100 lb dog. While not little she would be white and fluffy, hence the name Compromise. Realizing that I really shouldn’t call her that, I wondered what her name would be. Just at that moment the name “Saydee” literally flew into my awareness. I told Eddie we would call her Saydee.

When we arrived we were greeted by Saydee’s dad: Falcor - a standard white poodle who immediately jumped up on me and put his paws on my shoulders. He was very tall and commanding. There was a litter of seven adorable eight week old puppies to choose from. I picked up Saydee and she began to kiss me on my neck. I put her down to see another one, and she kept coming back. Licking my neck each time. Same thing for Eddie, we decided she was choosing us making her name Saydee very appropriate.

She would become an integral part of our family over the years. Saydee was extremely sociable and seemed to love everyone. Even as a young pup, she would run to greet whoever was around. It didn’t matter if it was a pitbull with a spikey collar, small children just getting off the bus or a group of Asian tourists visiting Canada’s north. She was there for everyone and anyone.

Over the years, she travelled with us to Maine, Vermont, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories. She loved our many walks in all of these places especially beaches and forests. After exhausting herself running through the surf at the beach, I would often find her just sitting at the edge and looking out at the expanse. It was as if she was in awe of her surroundings.

While Saydee was capable of many things she especially loved to chase squirrels and bunnies. She even caught two squirrels. Once when I was photographing a friend, Saydee seemed to want to impress her so she caught her first squirrel. She dropped it immediately though when I screamed for the squirrel. The second time she caught a squirrel she dropped it right away as soon as she heard the squirrel cry.

In 2015 we moved to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories for two years. We drove all the way with Saydee in the back seat. While there Saydee enjoyed our many hikes with new friends around Fred Henney Campground, Tin Can Hill and Great Slave Lake in the winter time. While there didn’t seem to be as many squirrels to chase, she certainly got her exercise chasing and playing with the Ravens. She was off-leash much of the time. She even enjoyed our ice fishing trip in a 1968 bombardier and preferred the cooked fish to the sushi. Almost everyone who met Saydee liked her and she had a kiss for almost everyone.

Over the years Saydee had two best friends: Sawyer while in Ottawa and Mars in Yellowknife. They shared many good times together exploring the local forests.

I always had a hard time leaving her when I had to go to work, given that she was so sociable. For years we talked about getting her a puppy so that she wouldn’t have to be alone when we had to go out somewhere. Just after her 13th birthday, we felt that she was aging and losing her spark for life. Saydee had been the perfect dog so in February 2022, we adopted her a little sister hoping that that would give Saydee a little boost and hopefully some of Saydee’s good traits would rub off on her sister Marley. And it did. It was wonderful for the first six months, but as Marley grew she became a bit too boisterous for her aging sister. Luckily for us, Marley’s half-sister became available as her family didn’t want her anymore and so we adopted Hazel. Another sister for Saydee and Marley.

It has been a year now since Saydee passed. I dreaded when the day would come and I must admit it was one of the most difficult times of my life. I still miss her terribly. She was a most loyal and loving companion for almost 15 years. She was my muse and my shadow. Saydee was wise, gentle, patient, elegant, empathic, and unconditionally loving. There isn’t a day when I am not thinking of her. She was an old soul and I hope we meet again.