If  you have known me  for eight months or  more, you have heard at least on Sam story. Chances are, if you have known me for any period of time you have heard at least one Sam story.  Sam is a Red Bone Coon Hound. He is full of personality and always good for a laugh. 

There are so many Sam stories, I can’t possibly re-tell them all here. There was his encounter with the magpie just days after his arrival in our home. There was the day that he decided to eat my luffa sponge and accidently turned on the shower and then decided to play in the tub while the water rained down on top of him.  You have probably seen video of him greeting me when I returned home from business trips. You know that I have played ball with him for countless hours. You know that he likes to sleep in the bed, under the blankets. You know that he loves to swim and ride the current.  You also know he eats coins and razor blades, that  he ate my mattress,  dug a hole in my couch, and barked unceasingly at the neighbors. If you have heard me talk about Sam, you know how deeply I love him , how incrediblly challanging he is and you know how I grieved when I had to re-home him last fall.

Last fall Sam was taken by the city after he bit a jogger who was running in the dog park. When the city took Sam I couldn’t bear to think of him in a tiny kennel. I knew that he would be stressed out by other dogs barking and that he would likely howl and bark a great deal. I couldn’t bear to not knowing what happened to him. I fought hard to get him back and to re-home him. This allowed me to have the peace of mind that he was being cared for properly.  I celebrated when “the perfect match” came forward. A woman who was a wildlife biologist and pursuing her PH.D in animal behavior seemed like the perfect person to take Sam on.  Regardless of the fact that Sam went to a good home I cried for weeks after he left because I missed him so much.

So, you can imagine the flood of emotions I experienced when I was contacted by the Humane Society last Friday and told that Sam had been surrendered by the nice lady getting her doctorate in animal behavior. They asked me if I wanted to pick him up. Sam wouldn’t do well in a tiny little enclosure.  I couldn’t leave him there.  I couldn’t risk him going to a family who wouldn’t understand his  “Sam-ism’s.”  Sam is a special boy. He needs a very special person to care for him. So, my husband agreed that I needed to go get him and that Sam would be better off if we found him a home. 

Seeing Sam again was pure joy. We had lots of hugs and joyful howls. He seemed to know right away that everything was going to be alright. He assumed his place in the passenger seat of my car and we drove home. He acted like he had never left. He sat on the bed where he always sat.  He made his way under the blankets almost immediately.  He  was happy to see his food and water dish out.  He greeted each member of the family and settled in. And I cried, because I knew that I couldn’t keep him.

We went to the dog park with his two best friends later that evening and it was clear that Sam’s behavior issues had escalated while he was away.  Sam began howling at a man he spied through a  fence. Later when he and the man were in the same enclosure Sam charged him and howled at him as if he was trying to tree him. We immediately put Sam on his leash and  were about to leave the dog park when Sam lunged at a jogger.  In less than 48 hours of being home Sam had turned our house into a state of chaos. He  tore apart a pillow,  barked unceasingly  at the neighbors, showed aggression to my sons friend when he came into our home and showed aggression again when he left.

Here’s what I know, Sam is a sweet, sweet, sweet boy. He is vey loving and fun to spend time with… when he behalves himself. When he is bad he completely exhausts me. He needs help to learn how to be a consistently good dog.  He needs to be with someone who has the skills to teach him right from wrong. I don’t know how to do this for him, and even if I did, I can no longer keep him. A friend of mine suggested that Sam go to Spirit of the North Kennels.  They have had a great deal of success working with dogs that demonstrate aggressive behaviors. People send their dogs there from all over Canada. I made contact with them and Al said he could take Sam and that he would assist me in finding a suitable home for him after Sam has been rehabilitated.

I know that there are a lot of people on Facebook who have loved reading about Sam’s adventures over the past several years. I know he has a lot of fans, and that his fans know how incredibly challenging he has been since the first day  I met him.  I know that things have been tough all around and that lots of people have a great deal of debt and that many people in multiple industries have lost their jobs due to the down turn in the economy.   If you cant afford to contribute to Sam’s rehabilitation its okay. No need to apologize or feel bad.  If you can give please only give what you can. Every dollar you forward is very appreciated.  

I fear that if Sam doesn’t get this very specialized care that he will be euthanized by his next owner, and  he is far to precious to me to allow that to happen. Thank you.