Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

To Sampson, On Your Thirteenth Birthday

By

Hey Bubby,

I can’t believe it’s already been thirteen years since you were born. I remember so vividly the day Auntie Mindy came to work and told me you and your nine brothers and sisters had arrived.

Puppies!

Little did I know, this cute little puppy would turn the world as I knew it, upside down.

Golden Lab Puppy

Baby Sam

Your came into my life at a time when I was lost. When I needed a purpose in life, and you gave that purpose to me. I’m not sure I could ever find the words to thank you for that.

You set me on a journey of self-realization, and self-discovery that continues to this day. YOU made me want to be a better person, and it’s something I strive for every single day.

When I come home and you look at me with those adoring eyes and thumping tail, my heart fills with SO much love and joy, I feel like bursting.

Golden Lab

Sampson and me.

Because of you, I now know what a heart dog is. And boy did you grab my heart and wrapped it right around your paw.

But your magic doesn’t stop with me. You touch the hearts of so many people, and are always ready with a wagging tail and ‘rooing’ voice, to welcome strangers as new friends.

You’ve been an amazing companion to me these past thirteen years, and I’m so grateful to have you in my life.

I love you to the moon and back.

Love, “The Mama”

Some of my favorite photos of Sampson.

Click on the photo to enlarge the picture!

The Long Goodbye

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I mentioned in a previous post, how nice it is to come home to find one (or both) of the dogs waiting for me on the balcony, or by the window.

Don’t leave us!

The flip side to that, is the heartbreak of looking up as you’re preparing to leave you house, and seeing a pair of sad little eyes watching you leave.

Breaks my heart every time.

Yesterday I had to run out for dog food, and I looked up and Sampson was staring at me from the window.

It makes it awful hard to leave.

The Smile Says It All

By

Every once in a while, I’m reminded that no matter how hard you try and protect your pets, to do what’s best for them, dogs will still be dogs.

Take Sampson. Despite the fact that he’s had a partial CCL tear for 18 months, there are still days where he has that hitch in his giddyap. If he sees a squirrel or a cat on our walks, he can get to jumping and lunging around. That’s when I rein him in.

As much as I want to protect him, and keep him as comfortable as I can, there are days, when he just gets away from me.

Like yesterday. Delilah was at the door to go potty. I was sitting on the couch, trying to determine what I was going to post today.

Suddenly, there was a ruckus at the door, and I distinctly heard the sound of dogs bolting out the door. That’s dogs….like plural. Two dogs. Not just one. Two.

It took a minute for my brain to register, but when it did, I jumped up almost as quickly as they had bolted out the door.

And there, way up in the back of the yard, was Sampson! He went out the door, down the stairs, and up the fence line!

When he got back to the stairs, he looked at me, and I was totally prepared to help him up the steps, but then he gave me that look, and climbed stoically up the steps, then darted into the house and tried to initiate a wrestling session with Delilah!

At first I was ticked at myself for leaving the door open, but he was so proud and happy with himself, that I couldn’t help but share in that with him.

It’s not often that he gets the opportunity to cut loose, so those moments should be treasured.

The smile says it all.

 

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