The sad story ends there thanks to a local cable vision station that aired a Pet of the Week each Wednesday in Starkville, MS. Although I never watched this station, for some reason this particular Wednesday evening, my tv was on that station while I was cooking supper. I heard the show come on, and ran to look. I have loved dogs all of my life, and anytime a story with a dog in it is on, I have to look. I fell in love. There was the most precious terrier I had ever seen. I had no idea what kind, just figured it was a mix. After much research later, I determined she was a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier mix.

Even after the show was over, I could not stop thinking about Cinnamon. My mom had finally agreed to get a dog, so I made my mind up that I would call the City Pound/Starkville Humane Society about her the following day. And I did. They agreed to hold her so I could come see her that afternoon. My sister Peg, and her husband Jon, went with me. We all fell in love with her. She was so full of sunshine and love it would have been difficult not to. I also found that she had been completely shaved down as she had been one matted mess when they picked her up. The shelter agreed to hold her and let me take her to Jackson that weekend.

We arrived in Jackson that Friday evening, MUCH to Mama’s surprise. She had NO idea I was bringing a friend home with me, much less a canine friend. My mom actually had something else in mind. A German Shepherd or an American Bulldog, breeds which we had grown up with and she was familiar with. She knew NOTHING about Terriers! Unfortunately I was already attached to this first drop of sunshine for me since my precious grandmother had passed away just months before of cancer. I was really upset, because Cinnamon would be the next animal put to sleep...she had been there a while. My heart was breaking. I did not mean for my mom to see how upset I was, but she did. She decided that she would try it. Cinnamon and I made the trip back to Mississippi State so that she could be spayed that week. It was hard being without her that week, but I paid my $10 adoption fee and she was ours. I picked her up Thursday because I could not bear the thought of her going back to a kennel after her surgery. I took off early that Thursday, picked her up, took her by the vet's for her shots and a bath, and we took off for Jackson. She was an excellent travel companion from the beginning. She acted as if she had been born a traveler.

Cinnamon had her ups and downs after being settled in at my mom's. This was a dog that had never been inside. She had been allowed to roam most, perhaps all, of her life, and she could not understand why she was not allowed to go outside and run. She had never been on a leash, nor had she ever been given any obedience training. None of us were really that experienced with taking on this kind of responsibility. I had always worked with our pets, but we were not allowed to have pets inside when we were growing up. It soon became apparent that I was the only one who believed in her. After her eating an entire pan of fresh cinnamon rolls, tearing holes through the bathroom door, gnawing on the sides of the bathroom door, and using the bathroom inside only, my mom had completely lost faith in Cinnamon and her ability to become a good pet. The bathroom door was the final straw. My mom was at a loss as how to deal with Cinnamon's destructiveness and poor housebreaking skills. Obviously, this was as much my mom and sister’s fault as it was Cinnamon's. They never had been able to get her on a schedule and she was revolting because of the lack of proper training. After several months of this behavior, my mom began looking for a new home for her. Again, my heart was breaking for I was not in a position to take her. My apartment at college did not allow cats and dogs. I knew she only needed someone to spend time with her and to train her. So I started coming home every weekend to train her. We worked on basic obedience and regaining the alpha position. I taught my mom and sister these things as well. Around the same time, luckily, our vet mentioned crate training. I thought it was the most cruel thing I had ever heard, but I researched it and decided to try it. Anything to save Cinnamon. My mom and sister held Cinnamon to a schedule and worked a bit with her in obedience. It worked! Like a charm! It took her a while to go in the crate on command, but now you can say, "Cinnamon, in your house!" and in she goes!  Their hard work with her turned things around.

Cinnamon was very attached and bonded to me by this time. When I would come home from school, she would RACE through the house in what we called the "Butt Scootch Dance". It was very difficult to get her to stop because of her excitement to see me. She loved everyone, but my adoration for her was returned threefold by Cinnamon.

In July 1992 I moved to Jackson, and the serious obedience training began. Cinnamon went from never having a collar or leash on, to becoming a very refined Southern young lady (MOST of the time). She went from being aggressive to other dogs, to earning her Canine Good Citizen (CGC) title. She completed two obedience classes with the Jackson Obedience Training Club, where I am now a member. She is a certified therapy dog through Therapy Dog International (TDI), has earned her Versatile Canine Companion (VCC) title through Clever Canine Companions, as well as her TT through the American Temperament Society. We have worked in tracking and agility and started herding lessons in April 1998.   Cinnamon has come a long way and I am VERY proud of her!  I began calling her Sissy as part of a training program to help her with her dog aggression problem.

Much to our surprise, herding seems to be her forte'.  I had always felt Sissy would love herding, but we had only worked her twice, in a very small pen. We went for a weekend of herding lessons the weekend before our first trial; May 1,2,3 1998 AHBA Trial and Bob Vest clinic. Shelly, our instructor, had told me this would be the weekend we would take her out in the big round pen to see how she would do. I could not believe my eyes; she had balance!  She seemed to know where to be and at the right time. All I had to do was move, and she brought the sheep to me every time! Shelly was thrilled with her and told me she would be my dog to learn on. Having been on sheep her third time and my second time to handle Sissy alone, Shelly encouraged me to enter her in the upcoming AHBA trials. AHBA (American Herding Breed Association) not only allows Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers and other non-traditional herding breeds to compete in their trials, but also mixes of those herding breeds.  We arrived at the trial site to find they had had 20 inches of rain; 8 inches in one night. My little girl, who can’t stand to get her feet wet in the morning dew, was covered in mud, from running through mud puddles after her sheep, when we walked out of that ring. She earned her HCT (Herding Capability Tested) title and is now known as SHS’s Sunshine and Cinnamon HCT CGC TT TDI VCC! At nine years of age, who says an old dog can't learn new tricks!  SHS stands for Starkville Humane Society. I chose this name in the hopes that it will help to give shelters and shelter workers the recognition they deserve, as well as to demonstrate to the public that shelter dogs can make wonderful pets.

Sissy shares her life with our human companion Greg; her brothers Adam, an Australian Shepherd and Casey, a Bouvier des Flandres; Harvey, a white New Zealand house bunny; and Rebel, an African Grey. Adam and Harvey are also adopted.

Sissy, Adam and Casey visit the Mississippi Methodist Rehabilitation Center and a home for abused children once a month. Adam is the sensitive dog who draws even the shyest of patients out. Sissy, on the other hand, is the clown. She makes them laugh with her tricks and funny little ways. Little brother Casey's Bouvier bounce and size are a big hit with the patients.

Sissy will always hold a little piece of my heart. She is my friend, my confidant, and my little bit of sunshine on a dreary day. She is always there, loving me, listening to me, and making me laugh. A throw-away dog whom no one wanted. Somebody else’s mistake has made me the happiest person on this earth. It just goes to show you what a little love and patience can do for a dog with no future. She is one dog who will never want again.