When my brother and I had only had Sammie for a short while - maybe 2-3 months, another special dog came along. He had been abandoned outside in an ice storm to wander dirty, hungry and lonely around town. My brother, a neighbor friend and I rescued him, cleaned him up, fed him and delivered him to my mother's door so as not to have Sammie feel her new spot was in any jeopardy. That special dog is named Max. He has been a well-loved member of Mom's household and our family ever since. He, too, is aging now.
The positive influence Max and Sammie have had on our family cannot be overstated. When my grandmother got to a point in her age and health that she needed to live with my mother, Max became her loyal companion as well. Both of these rescued dogs have known when we needed comforting and companionship and have been there for us.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Sammie as a puppy
When Sammie came into my life 14 years ago, she was a cute puppy who very cleverly overcame multiple obstacles my brother and I set up to try and keep her in our kitchen at night. She chewed up the bottom of the kitchen cabinets in our rented townhouse and attempted to escape through the actual wall under a window one day. That's the day my brother called me at work to tell me we were "taking her back." Of course, we didn't do that.
Sammie the puppy was full of energy. We ran her between us in a field behind our home to wear her out. We also ran her up and down the stairs in the townhouse until she could barely do it she was so tired. That's how we got her to slow down to sleep at night. One of the cutest things she did was to take a plush toy in her mouth and carefully place it at the top of the stair railing and release it so it would slide down and eventually flop onto the floor at the bottom. We thought it was a fluke at first until she repeated it over and over again.
Sammie got Christmas presents which she dutifully unwrapped herself. She went on walks. At night she howled like a beagle. As she got older, her body started looking more like that of a greyhound or whippet and we learned she could run really fast. She loved chasing birds & following her nose. Pretty soon we couldn't run her freely between us in the field because she just kept on running... We decided she was not part German Shepherd, though the beagle ancestry seemed accurate. No doubt she was hound dog, but who knows of what breeds.
Sammie the puppy was full of energy. We ran her between us in a field behind our home to wear her out. We also ran her up and down the stairs in the townhouse until she could barely do it she was so tired. That's how we got her to slow down to sleep at night. One of the cutest things she did was to take a plush toy in her mouth and carefully place it at the top of the stair railing and release it so it would slide down and eventually flop onto the floor at the bottom. We thought it was a fluke at first until she repeated it over and over again.
Sammie got Christmas presents which she dutifully unwrapped herself. She went on walks. At night she howled like a beagle. As she got older, her body started looking more like that of a greyhound or whippet and we learned she could run really fast. She loved chasing birds & following her nose. Pretty soon we couldn't run her freely between us in the field because she just kept on running... We decided she was not part German Shepherd, though the beagle ancestry seemed accurate. No doubt she was hound dog, but who knows of what breeds.
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