SAMPSON 6/13/04
#396
Sampson
Sampson's Foster Journey - Adopted 7/25/04
Pertinent Information
4 - 5 yr. old Fawn Male
57 lb. Shelter Surrender
Natural Ears and Docked Tail
Neutered and UTD
Being Fostered near Schenectady, NY
Adoption Donation $175
10/7/04 - So sorry this is a little late. Sam the man, is doing good. I wish I could say great, but he has had a few little medical issues. We hope to be all better now. Sam has been a great addition to the family. At first I though he was to old to keep up with his little boxer sister, but boy was I wrong. Every morning they start off the day by play fighting for about an hour or so. Then it is time for a good game of tag-a-war (with whatever they can find). Next they head outside for a few laps around the yard. After all that, they each get cozy on the couch. We all love Sammy and we are proud to be his new parents. We will keep going to the vet once a week if we have to. He is worth it to us. He is a big soft gentle 65 pound lap dog.
8/24/04 - Well, it has been about 6 weeks
since Sam first came to live with us. So much as changed! He is
starting to give little kisses and I mean little. We have discovered
that Sam is best NOT crated when we go out. When he is crated he
will pee in the crate. If we leave him with free run of the house,
he is a prefect boy. He loves to play with stuffed animals or should
I say destroy stuffed animals. Sam and his fur sister Princess
(boxer) love tug of war and to run like crazy around the yard. Sam
will fetch a ball but it is not his favorite game. Sam is also
wonderful with the skin kids (5 & 3). He has learned that the little
one will share whatever she is eating. One lick of ice cream for
Kylie and one lick for Sammy and so on. He is very gentle with
everyone. Sam has no faults that we can see, unless you count that
he believes he is a lap dog. Sam goes to the vet on Thursday. He has
one eye that is a little cloudy, so we will have it checked out. He
also recovered nicely from the surgery to remove his lumps and teeth
cleaning. The teeth cleaning and polishing has really help with his
breath (thank you BAR). We all believe Sammy was the prefect choice
for are family. We love him very much. Sam will never again have to
worry about be left or mistreated. Thank you BAR for letting us have
the best rescue dog.
8/2/04 - It's official? Sammy is one spoiled,
loved puppy!!! It still amazes me how much can change for these guys
in so short a time. Just 2 1/2 months ago, he and Delilah were found
tied to a tree, abandoned, and now he is sleeping on the couch with
his little boxer sister and has two adorable skin sisters to give
him all the hugs and kisses he can possibly want. Debbie gave me the
cutest photos that I'll try to scan so everyone can see his
transformation. Congratulations to the entire Welcome family!!
7/25/04 - Sampson has been adopted
7/20/04 - Sampson is pending adoption.
7/6/04 - Sammy has been here three weeks and he
has settled in so nicely. He is definitely a mommy's boy. He follows
me everywhere, although he seeks affection from everyone. He is very
quiet and greets everyone with wiggles. I took all three fur kids out
for ice cream tonight and Sammy was so cute. He just sat their
patiently, waiting for his turn to lick the cone. Everyone who walked
by, commented how well behaved he was. He still is not fond of being
alone, but is getting much better. He sometimes barks in his crate
when left, but quiets after a couple of minutes and goes to sleep.
When he first came, he had accidents frequently when left alone, but
that is an infrequent occurrence now. He is so excited to see us when
we return. He was frightened that he was going to be abandoned again
but I think he is starting to trust that he is safe. He still
continues to be so good when out in the house. He does not touch
anything that he shouldn't or doesn't counter surf.
If you're looking for a companion that is content to just sit at your
feet during the day and cuddle with you at night and perhaps an
occasional ride in the car for ice cream, Samson is the boy for you.
6/19/04 - Well, our Samson has finally discovered the comforts of being a couch potato. Until today, he hasn't even attempted it. He had a wonderful day, lounging with my terrier. They have become quite the duo, which is surprising because my old guy usually just tolerates the comings and going of our other two fosters. Samson, like his mother Delilah, has had some separation anxiety issues (peeing when left alone) because they are afraid that they will be abandoned again, but I feel it is understandable seeing that they have only been separated from each other for 4 days. Yesterday, when I fed him his breakfast I left the baby gate off in his room, he took a couple of bites, then ran back to the kitchen to see where I was, then back to his food for a few more bites, then back to me. He looked so cute, because he had yogurt all over his face because he was eating so fast so he get back to me. I felt so bad for him because he was scared that I wouldn't be there when he finished eating. Since then, I sit next to him so he can eat in peace. Today, when I had to put Sammy "in his room" for a few minutes, I left one of my guys in the room with him (they get extra treats for this) and he has been much better. I think he will need a fur brother or sister in his forever home. Except for a few minutes here and there when he was in his room (our den), he has had the run of the entire main floor of the house and has not had one accident. He has seen my cats outside and is still interested, but has had no contact with them. Oh, by the way, he walks beautifully on the leash (always on the left) and never pulls. Sammy is just the sweetest boy. He gets along with everyone he meets. His former foster home has small children and he was great with them. Even though he needs to be within sight of us whenever possible, he really does not require a lot of attention. He is content to just lay on the floor near us. We have been spoiling him with a lot of attention and praise, so he keeps getting up to soak up "all the loving".
6/16/04 - Well, after much discussion and consideration, it was
decided to separate Samson and Delilah to see if they could thrive
without each other. So, Sammy, being the man of the family decided to
move to another foster home and let his mom stay where she was. Sammy
came home with me last night and has been a total sweetheart. So far, he
doesn't seem to miss his mom very much. As with any new foster baby,
they are a little confused for a couple of days, but he seems to be
handling life on his own wonderfully. He has met his fur foster brothers
this morning and seems to be adjusting to that very well. He is very
interested in the cats, so that will have to be monitored very closely.
Last night my sons had several friends over last night (college is out
and they haven't seen each other for several months) so there was a lot
of rowdy teenagers clowning around. Sammy took it all in stride and
considering he only walked into the house himself an hour before, he was
amazing. His little nubbin wiggled so fast, you could hardly see it. It
made everyone laugh, which made him wiggle even more. Look for further
updates to read how this little one emerges from the shadow of his
mother to his own personality.
6/14/04 - Sampson - Where to start. Sampson came to us yesterday
and it was such a surprise. I was supposed to be getting Delilah
and surprise surprise I came home with both of them. Sampson very close
to Delilah and will not do anything without her. He is such a sweet boy. He thinks he is a lap dog which is
funny because he is pretty big and if he grows into his feet he will be
a good size boxer. I don't know how someone could leave them tied to a
tree. Sampson has been good in the house but, last night when I put them
to bed I gated them into their own room and someone had gone to the
bathroom on the floor. I'm not sure who it was Sam or Delilah and I'm
not sure if they did it just because they are not happy being locked up.
Sam has been great with the kids and he really likes our resident boxer Maddie. The people from the shelter said he was not fond of the male
dogs there and had to be removed from the play yard a few times. He
hasn't met the male dog that lives across the street yet. I suppose
since I have two of these to do I should move on to his Mom.
6/13/04 - Hi everyone Sampson and Delilah are here. So far so good. Intro's to the skin kids and the resident fur kid have gone really well. They are extremely interested in the cat who by the way is not interested in them. They were awesome in the car and you could tell why they can't be apart. I don't know to much else yet. I will write often to keep everyone posted.
