Sam's Story

If you have traveled this road with us since the beginning, 

you may remember the story of how Brown Sammie came to live on the farm.

If not, this is your chance.

Pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee... this is quite the story.

Sam had his humble beginnings in a rescue in Charlotte, North Carolina,

about ten years ago.

He had been found, along with his brother, wandering in the woods outside of the city.

At the time, our two boys, Andy and Ryan were living together in Charlotte.

Andy, having graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering was working for an industrial mixing manufacturer in Charlotte.

 Ryan, who had graduated from PSU with a degree in industrial psychology and supply chain,

 had also found a job in Charlotte and relocated from Pennsylvania.

New to Charlotte, Ryan moved in with Andy who had bought a townhouse just outside the city.

Naturally, a dog was the next logical step.

Enter Sammie.

Andy found Sammie at a shelter and the two became fast friends.

House training progressed well with one set-back.

Sammie had a bad case of separation anxiety and ate his way out of his crate.

After that, they boys tried keeping Sam in his room with a baby gate.

Easily scaled, the baby gate soon became two gates, then three.

Confining Sam to one room during the daytime was useless.

He always found a way out.

In an attempt to tire Sammie out, so that he might sleep during the day

rather than fret, Andy bought a pair of in-line skates and took Sammie for a long run

every day before work.

Energy expended,  Sam was given the run of the townhouse.

Every day, when Andy arrived home from work,

 Sam would be there... sound asleep, and so innocent, on the living room couch.

It seemed to be working out just fine.

Everyone was getting lots of exercise.

And Sammie seemed to be a good boy during the day.

"Seemed" being the operative word...

until one day Andy received a letter from his home-owners association:

Perplexed, he looked at his screens and saw nothing out of order.

Then he looked at page two of the letter with contained a couple of photos...

Not to be contained, Sammie had been spending his days on the front porch roof,

waiting for his boys to come home.

Every day when returning home, however, the boys found him asleep on the couch.

Now you see how sly this boy is!

During these first two years, Andy and Sammie made several trips home to the farm.

Sammie was the perfect farm dog... high energy and an innate respect for the animals.

By the end of Sammie's second year, Andy made the decision to move back home 

to pursue a job closer to family.

Andy moved to Harrisburg, Ryan stayed in Charlotte.

Unable to find suitable housing in the city that could accommodate

high-energy Sammie,

Sammie came to live on the farm full time.

At the time, we had Maddie (our Newfie), Sadie (a Bernese Mtn. Dog)

and had just adopted Oakley from a shelter.

What's one more dog when you already have three?

Little did we know that just a few weeks later we would be adopting

elderly Hickory (a small Norfolk terrier) as well.

Sam has been the perfect farm dog for the past eight years.

He's had so many adventures both on and off the farm.

(He has always had a tendency to wander... he's also quite the groundhog hunter!)

He's been skunked more times than I can count 

and gotten into all manner of trouble.

Despite everything, he has made our lives very full for the past eight years...

years we wouldn't have traded for anything.

Whenever a group of children visits the farm, you can always find Sammie

in the midst of the kids.  He loves attention!

We love you, Sammie... and pray that you have many more years of adventuring

here on the farm.

The past two years have been a little difficult for Sam,

as he tore both of his cruciate ligaments.

It slowed him down a bit, but with time, healed fine.

Nowadays, he spends most of his time sleeping... resting up for that next adventure.

He exerts his energy wisely... and is always game for the next fun activity.

You've gotta love that face!