Sammy

Our Dog Sammy (my parents' dog, really) is ancient. We brought her home on my 14th Birthday and she's lived with my mother ever since. She's seen 4 highschool graduations and watched all 4 of "her" kids go off to college. When she lived in Townsend with my mother there was no leash law and she used to run in a pack of dogs. Her best friend, a black lab, would come over and scratch on the door for Sammy to come play. That same black lab later stole a neighbor's thanksgiving turkey that was cooling on the porch!

Sammy used to run with Erin and me and was very protective of us. I remember being out on a walk once when I was pregnant and a man started to walk towards me to "chat" but Sammy wouldn't allow it. Honestly, I had gotten a weird vibe from him and was so thankful that Sammy was with me.

She moved to the Southshore with my mom and survived the training of their second dog, Jake (an "energetic" golden retriever).

Sammy wasn't doing so well last week (she's over 100yrs old in dogs years!) and my mother asked us to come say our goodbyes. Sydney and I were able to spend a nice morning visiting with Sammy which is where the above pictures come from. True to form, though, Sammy bounced back and is now at baseline. She's somewhat crippled by severe arthritis but is back to wandering around and being affectionate. She has earned the nickname "Lazarus" from my parents.

We will definitely miss Sammy when she finally decides to leave us - what a wonderful family dog!