And Then There Was Sam....

Life happens.
You make plans.
You change plans.
You make new plans.
Life happens.

Also....

Dogs happen.
You bring a dog into the family.
You get a second dog to keep the first one company.
The first one ages, so you add another dog to keep the second
one company, should the first one pass.

Then you hear of an unfortunate dear headed to the pound...
and at 15 years of age, you realize that no one would want her.
So you adopt another dog.

At this point you tell yourself that 4 dogs is the absolute limit.
No more dogs.
NO
MORE 
DOGS!

And then along comes Sam.
Sam, 45 pounds of love and energy.

Sam is my son Andy's dog.  
Sam is about 2 years old.  
He was a shelter dog.
He was sold to Andy as a lab mix puppy.
We think he is mostly Vizsla.
He is very very energetic and suffers from separation anxiety.

His separation anxiety is so bad that Andy received these pictures
and a letter from his homeowners association.
This is apparently what Sam did while Andy was at work....




Apparently, missing his Daddy, Sam would
crawl out through the kitchen window and sit on the front porch roof
waiting for his Daddy to come home from work.
Upon arriving home, Andy would find Sam sleeping on the couch.
The letter from the homeowners association was almost incredulous,
but pictures don't lie.
Notice, one picture was from far so that Andy could recognize his house,
and the other from close up, so he could recognize his dog.

Andy's life is in transition now...
From North Carolina back to Pennsylvania.
New job.
Trying to find a new place to live.
All of this keeps him away from Sam for too many hours each day.

And that makes Sam very unhappy.
And when Sam is unhappy he gets into trouble.

So, this weekend Sam came to live on the farm.
At least for now.
Sam loves the farm...
lots of room to run,
lots of company,
no separation anxiety.


 So, this weekend we got busy teaching Sam to be farm-worthy.

He learned to leave the cats and chickens and ducks alone.

He is learning a healthy respect for the horses.

He and Oakley are best of buddies.

Life is good.

Sam is happy.

And we have two three four five dogs.
Dogs happen.
Life happens.

Have I lost my mind?
Please tell me what you think!
Yes, you....who never leaves me a comment!

Comments

Anke said…
I can't believe he would climb out the window to sit on the roof and wait... He must have been very lonely. I'm glad he likes it at the farm with you guys and he's happy with his new friends.
October 11, 2010 at 7:07 AM
Tidy Brown Wren said…
So happy that Sam has a fun place to live and new doggy friends to hang out with. Give him a hug from me.
October 11, 2010 at 7:25 AM
Verde Farm said…
Oh Bev, a woman after my own heart. Poor Sam! He just wanted some company and I know your son was thrilled you all took him to live at the happy farm. You are awesome for bringing him home. This way his daddy can still see him and know he is well taken care of.
October 11, 2010 at 8:45 AM
Anonymous said…
Lucky Sam..the more the merrier..I'd love to have another cat.....What's another dog when you have so many already???
October 11, 2010 at 9:59 AM
Unknown said…
Wow, what a generous heart you have! My goodness, all the way out on the roof, so high to try and find his owner coming down the street, as early as possible! My dog, Dash has seperation anxiety as well. I know he would love being on a farm like yours. I often wonder about another dog for him to play with but also see that he gets jealous easily...so on that note I am not as brave as you! Good job, girl!
October 11, 2010 at 11:20 AM
countrynmore said…
Bev. Sam is adorable. We had a dog with separation anxiety, but she was destructive when left alone. We couldn't leave Nicky at home because she tore things up. Dh had a bag of cement by the front door, but when we got back, it was all over the floor. When left in our car, she tore up the seat belts twice. Thank goodness we had a good insurance company who understood. It took years, but she outgrew the separation anxiety. Nicky was our beloved dog. When we adopted Nicky, she had been returned to the shelter by the previous owners just nine days after adopting her. Bev.you are not insane for having 5 dogs. I would have 5 dogs if I had the room.
October 11, 2010 at 11:32 AM
taylorgirl6 said…
We have three dogs. Sometimes we wonder how we got three. Sometimes I fear a fourth is on the horizon. Our oldest, Jodie, suffers from an intense fear of loud noises. We medicate her on the 4th of July and New Year's, and we recently had to dope her up while the contractor hammered on the walls in the house. I feel bad giving her Ace, but I feel worse watching her shake and pant and claw at the bars of her crate. She also suffers from a fear of farm animals. The chickens terrify her. Horses, cows, and goats are the devil incarnate. Lately she's gotten snippy with her younger brothers, and fights have broken out. She's even bitten another dog, though that was the owners fault, not Jodie's. The bottom line is she's an unadoptable dog. She can never go back to a shelter, or she'll be put down. We really are her last chance in this world. Oddly enough, we love her like no other. Some of her mannerisms remind me of myself so much that I can't help trying to understand her better. And we've seen her improve 150% from how she was with her last owner. Jodie started out on the streets, ended up on death row in LA, got saved by a woman who thought that human love could cure a dog's ills, developed some of the worst self-destructive nervous habits I've ever seen, and, after four years with us, has become as close to normal as is possible given her circumstances. It's been a long journey, but I've valued and respected her every step of the way.

Specific dogs come into our lives for very specific reasons.
October 11, 2010 at 11:36 AM
Lisa said…
Yes, you are nuts! But I'm like that with cats. For a while I said NO MORE CATS!! Two is enough, then 3, then 4 then 5 cats!! People are going to start calling me the crazy cat lady. We are down to 4 cats again and I say NO MORE! But you gotta love them when they show up on your doorstep all dirty, sad, hungry and lonely.
October 11, 2010 at 12:12 PM
Lori Lynn said…
Ah, Sam. So sweet, and you are a GOOD dog-grandmommy to take him in. As far as I'm concerned, one can never have too many pets...my husband heartily disagrees. lol. I'm afraid that if I were left to my own devices I could become a hoarder, so it's good to have that voice of reason. Enjoy him!

♥~❀..Lori..❀~♥
October 11, 2010 at 1:21 PM
Cathy said…
Lucky, lucky Sam!
October 11, 2010 at 1:37 PM
Anonymous said…
Of course you've lost your mind. So what?! In past years we've been up to 11 at one time but sadly are down to 5 right now after losing our youngest and oldest in the last few months. Yes, they are rescues, but sometimes I'm not sure who rescues whom and you probably know exactly what I mean. Enjoy and love them all.
October 11, 2010 at 4:22 PM
said…
I think you are fully sane. Our shelter rescue apparently lost her mind when we were gone as well. We had no idea. We got an angry knock from neighbors saying our dog was crazy. I now work from home and she is a bit better, but I understand where your son was coming from. Taking our dog hiking so she can run and run and run and run has helped so much. You are being awesome to your grand-dog and will probably make a significant impact on little Sam's well being.
October 11, 2010 at 6:16 PM
Bee Haven Bev said…
Thanks for all of your kind comments. Most of you I knew would say what you did. What surprises me is that no reader actually said I was crazy....I half expected one or two!! Well, I think this will work out just fine. It takes a bit more work on my part to keep things cleaned up and make sure that everyone gets out regularly for potty breaks. So far, so good!
October 11, 2010 at 8:27 PM
Sandy said…
Oh, Bev, I thought i saw a doggie I didn't recognize. I just laughed and laughed when I scrolled down and saw the pictures of Sam on the porch roof. As you mentioned dogs don't like to be left alone and I bet Sam does love living on your farm with all the animals, people and activities. Cute post!!!
October 12, 2010 at 11:04 AM
Deb said…
I'm with you on this. He obviously loves his owner but sometimes our lives do not suit having a dog. I am so happy for him that you stepped in to give him a happy life. I would have done the same. That is how I ended up with 7 cats and only 4 are mine. Kids! But I love them all. Hugs to you for this, Deb =^..^=
October 12, 2010 at 4:31 PM
Dianne said…
I, too, wondered who that cute little dog was! Sam will be much happier there with you than on the roof - that's for sure! My daughter has a gorgeous Hungarian Vizla, Kiana! If Sam gets the "running zoomies" then, most likely, he's part Vizla!
October 13, 2010 at 12:27 PM
Unknown said…
New reader here. Unbelievable, sitting on the roof of the porch. I know what you mean - we have three dogs, two cats, and seven chickens. At this point it really is not that much more work to add more. But I think my hubby might think differently.
Blessings
Diane
October 13, 2010 at 1:38 PM
Post a Comment