Timing can be everything to a rescue dog, and in Sydney’s case, timing made all the difference in the world.
Sydney was taken from a neglectful home at only seven months old, but he wouldn’t be completely safe until Beverly Langman reached him.
When Ms Langman first learned about Sydney’s situation from an acquaintance in pet rescue, her heart immediately told her she had to act fast.
It turned out he was just minutes away from an irreversible decision - simply because of his origins and his appearance. They were two things Sydney had no control over.
“He had been seized, but no-one would take him because apparently, brindles are not popular, they don’t make enough money,” Ms Langman said.
“I couldn’t understand that when she said it, but apparently, they buy by colour.
“I think it is cruel that they would put a dog down just because of its colour, and I don’t believe it’s fair to blame the dog for what a human did.”
Miraculously, she reached out just in time, only 30 minutes before what would have been the inevitable.
While the American Staffordshire terrier might seem intimidating to some, Sydney is nothing but sweet and gentle.
When it was time to take him home, he allowed himself to be handled and harnessed without a hassle.
“He’d never had anything, he’d only been crated, but he didn’t play up at all from there to here,” Ms Langman said.
“He’s never been aggressive to anyone.”
A new beginning was what the gentle staffy needed, and Ms Langman was more than happy to be the one to guide him.
Now, at 18-months-old, Sydney couldn’t be happier.
When Sydney first came home, he took one look around to inspect his new home before making himself comfortable on Ms Langman’s bed.
According to the new owner, it only took him 10 minutes to warm to her.
He spent the first three days sleeping on her arm, but afterwards he was all snuggled up under the blankets with her every night.
And when he isn’t nipping biscuits from the table during tea time with his sibling, he’s enjoying his favourite meal.
Chicken, specifically the chicken breasts from Meats and Moore in Tatura.
Together with his best friend, Violet the 14-week-old Jack Russell terrier, the two are always up to playful mischief wherever they go.
“And currently, he plays from midnight to dawn with her,” Ms Langman said.
“Wherever they are, you’ll find them together.”
“I just hope that other people reach out to Kill Pounds (kill shelters) because it’s sad,” Ms Langman said.
“A seven-month-old pup, he was seven months, he would’ve been put to death to no fault of his own.
“That’s just not fair.
“I think more people need to adopt rather than buy.”