When I got out on my own and was ready to get my first dog of my own, I heard from a friend of a friend about some lab mixes that needed a home. By the time I got there, 2 pups were left and I was told whichever one I didn't take was going to a kill shelter so I took both (Printc & Beare)! They were the loves of my life but unfortunately at 6 years of age, Beare had an unexpected seizure at a regular vet check up and passed away. I had no intention of replacing him but his brother was inconsolable. He wouldn't eat, go for walks, or accept any treats. Begrudgingly, we took him to the local humane society to find a forever friend and make sure it was a dog he would get along with. Upon entry to the shelter, many dogs were outside running and playing and as soon as I saw SAYDE, we made eye contact, she stopped short, and she immediately took my breath away. If Beare could have come back to life in another dog, it was Sayde; same markings, same body type, and same type of personality! I couldn't believe my eyes and then I learned she had the same name as our first family dog was the cherry on top! I kept an open mind and we tried out multiple dogs to see who would best get along with our sweet Printc. As fate would have it, Sayde was the one he loved the most! We took her home and soon realized how completely unprepared we were to care for this dog. All we had known about her backstory was that she had been a runaway and was probably about a year old. We instantly fell in love with her but she had a lot of issues that we were not aware of. Sayde (we think) is a boxer/pit/akita mix and is incredibly loyal, sweet, funny, and beautiful but she also has extreme separation anxiety! Both she and many crates/bathrooms/blankets/etc had been war torn and destroyed multiple times before we realized what was wrong with her and that there was medication available for something like that. She wouldn't let us cut her nails, she was so loyal that she scared off a few people/dogs, and she shredded just about everything in site! After awhile, we also figured out that she was terrified of tall men in hats (we are guessing she had been abused in the past). To put it plainly, she was a pain in the butt, until I realized that it was I that was a pain in the rear that just didn't understand how to properly care for her. There were many times I came home to disaster after disaster, threatening to take her back, but knowing I would try everything in my power to keep her before that was the answer. When I finally started to understand more about her and why she had so many "issues", I started to show her UNCONDITIONAL love and even started to love her issues. She still has severe separation anxiety (which is why I can't have pretty things, lol), she is on human anxiety medication, we have to slightly rearrange our lives to accommodate her, but daily leashless walks help burn some of that anxiety energy off. She is now 10 years old and unfortunately last year we lost Printc at 14, but we gained a new pit puppy that has brought a new energy in the house. The great thing is that Sayde has really taken our new pup (Buck) under her wing and groomed him to be the (mostly) well behaved little boy he is today. (I'm pretty sure she has had more success training him than I!) She has been so patient and understanding with him (even when he tries to push her limits) but in doing that, she continues to teach me more and more to have patience myself and how to just love, even when it's hard. She is an inspiration to me for many reasons, but my rescue dog that I didn't want, has become the most important, precious, beautiful soul I have ever known. She truly is the rescue that rescued me right back! She has the cutest howl when she gets excited at treat time or when we come home. She quickly becomes everyone's favorite after they first get over the fear of how intimidating she looks. She won't take treats from just anybody, she has to trust them first and she does not give kisses away freely, you have to earn them! But this sweet little girl who is still scared of tall men in hats, QUICKLY latched onto and fell more in love with my now husband of 6'2" who ALWAYS wears a hat, than anyone else in this whole world (maybe even me,lol). She gets me out of bed every day, and makes me get out and walk in the cold, but she is the best part of my EVERY day and coming home to her after being anywhere is the best feeling in the whole world, for both of us! Thank you Sayde Mae, for teaching me in actions, to be a better version of myself every day!

Nicole Eaton
PELLSTON, MI