When The Right One Comes Along: Sidney Condit the Coton de Tulear
WHEN THE RIGHT ONE COMES ALONG: Sidney Condit the Coton de Tulear My sweet friends, Rita and Gary Condit, had me paint a picture of their beloved dog, Sidney. I had never heard of Sidney’s breed, so I did little research in order to educate myself. I looked at some pictures and widened my horizons as far as doggies go. Every time I turn around, I hear about a new bread and am amazed by it. Rita and Gary spend their summers at Buckeye Lake and the rest of the time in Florida. Sidney is their sidekick and from the picture they provided, looks like a natural to me.
RITA’S STORY OF HOW SIDNEY CAME INTO THEIR LIVES: Sidney is an eleven year old Coton de Tulear. He was born in Pinehurst NC. Gary and I had never heard of the breed. Gary used to buy all his business suits from Godfrey’s. One day while at the Polaris store, we met Dolce their Coton. We fell in love, so the search for Sidney began. I can’t remember how we found our breeder. Old age. LOL. But, we did, and emailed her in NC. It was quite a process as she required us to fill out a questionnaire and interview. We were allowed to request the sex. Then we waited. The breeder sent us pics and videos of all the puppies in the litter. We did not tell her, but we were hoping for the male she called “Louis”. We were matched with him. We were very excited. Quite a process. Sid spends his summers at Buckeye Lake and winters in Naples. Of course he loves his toys. Most come from the claw machine. (Inside joke if you know Rita;) He is extremely social with people but has been known to stand up to other dogs. Size doesn’t matter. He only weighs 10 pounds and is quite the barker at times. He loves long walks and will sneak out the door to explore on his own. Gary bought him for me, but, he is most definitely Gary’s dog.
IN CONCLUSION: It’s funny how one thing leads to another without us knowing it sometimes. Gary had gone to Godfreys to buy suits for work. The pursuit of one thing fostered a completely different thing. That road led to seeing a little creature that Rita and Gary decided they HAD to pursue. Next up, a very discerning breeder who clearly made sure that nothing but the best would be the future home for her pups. Almost as suspenseful as any adoption process, Rita and Gary wanted this little pup badly enough to jump through all the required hoops. And, as good things come to those who wait, the “right one” did finally come along. I’m 100% sure Sidney hit the dog lottery. I love the pic of this pup on the back of their boat basking in what Rita and Gary do in the summers at Buckeye Lake. I am also comforted to hear a GOOD breeder story that took strong responsibility for her animals and their ultimate care. This painting is an 8x10 watercolor on canvas. If you are interested in commissions or seeing my previous work and blogs go to www.smithgirlarts.com or email me at smithgirlarts@gmail.com Love, gayla