Sydney the Virginia Beach pup is doggedly chasing stardom

VIRGINIA BEACH

See Sydney.

Sydney sees you, too, since she had cataract surgery.

See Sydney run.

See Sydney run at milkbone.icmodus.com, where the West Highland white terrier is in the running to be the Milk-Bone SpokesDog for 2009. Her owner, Laurie Clinton, received the nomination letter a few days ago.

Sydney had no comment.

Clinton did: "I was floored."

Sydney's now-campaign manager said she had been looking for coupons on the Milk-Bone Web site when she ran across the contest notice. Post your puppy's picture in a Milk-Bone Moment, it read, and you might be a finalist in the 100th anniversary contest.

So she did. Clinton posted a photo of Sydney and herself on the road, jaunting about with Hampton Roads Club Mini in a Mini convertible. Sydney looks stylish in blue Doggles.

So doggone cute that Clinton received a notice naming Sydney one of 100 finalists. The lucky SpokesDog will be selected based on the number of votes it receives on the Web site.

See Sydney doze. Because Sydney has no use for $100,000 and up to 10 promotional appearances, plus a digital camera, $41,390 to cover taxes and $2,500 for expenses, she will not say anything about the possible big payoff. Clinton, because she does have a use for all of that, hopes that everyone will vote for Sydney, early and often.

Here's the thing: Supporters can cast more than one vote each. In fact, each voter can vote once a day from now through Nov. 18 (one vote per day per e-mail address).

See Sydney go. Sydney has a car seat and doggie harness to go motoring, and she has a little travel bag to ride in when she flies, sitting always at Clinton's feet under the airplane seat, paying extra to avoid the cargo hold. Sydney will happily make those 10 promotional appearances around the country.

See Sydney's competition. Many of them are wearing costumes and party hats. Sydney wears her Doggles, but not for vanity. She has dry eyes and must protect them from wind, especially after the cataract surgery.

See Sydney sniff. See Sydney sniff the deck railing where the cat, Goner, jumps on and off. Sydney may dream of catburgers, but she cannot have them, because she is diabetic and must watch her diet, plus take two insulin shots a day. She always travels with a medical attendant, who happens to be Clinton, a school nurse at Rosemont Forest Elementary School.

Clinton hopes to win so she can pay off Sydney's surgery bills. The golden retrievers, Dakota and Shawnee, probably will not be jealous if Sydney becomes the SpokesDog. They did not mind when Sydney's image - in convertible and Doggles - went on the Mini club's T-shirt, or when she appeared as a Mini mascot.

The new SpokesDog will be announced in early January.

See Sydney win?

Diane Tennant, (757) 446-2478, diane.tennant@pilotonline.com