Life With Sam

Meet my German Shepherd, Sam. Sam just showed up on my porch one Saturday in October 2005. He scared us to death, because the coyotes around our farm are really brave. They'll come within ten feet of people and stand there as if to say, "I was here first!" We thought Sam was a coyote.

He was skinny when he walked up onto the porch. Phil opened the front door, and I sat down in the floor of our foyer and just looked at this poor dog. At first, he was timid and unsteady as he stepped onto the hardwood floor, but he did come inside. I just sat there and he walked over and laid down, putting his head in my lap. I loved this dog immediately.

Phil and I walked all over the hills where we live to see if anyone had lost a dog. Sam is definitely a purebred German Shepherd of German stock. You can find dogs like him for sale on the Internet for tons of money, but nobody would claim this dog. We put an ad in the local weekly newspaper, and at the time, I had a small gift shop in town, so I put signs up there. Thank God! Nobody else wanted this dog.

Sam belongs to me now. He's my pet. He's my friend. I had him microchipped. He has saved the life of my pekingese so many times. They are brothers. I have three young cats who look to Sam like he's "dad." He watches out for them, even waiting until they've tasted his dog food before nudging them out of the way. At night, he herds the cats into the bedroom. If he hears one in another room, he'll go get her and bring her to us. We didn't teach him that; he's a dog filled with love.

If Sam had to choose between eating and being with me, he'd choose me. He came knowing how to walk behind me, to stop when I stop and to lie down on command. He is now a 90 pound dog, so he can't turn around in our hallway very easily. That's usually when I fall over him.

He's great at fetch, but he doesn't always bring things back. I quit with the Frisbee because I kept hitting him in the head, but he always forgave me and was willing to keep on trying.

I take Sam almost everywhere. He rides in the front seat beside me, or sometimes he'll lay in the back seat. He is a great dog, and he was free! I wouldn't take a million dollars for this dog! I love my dog.