Sam

It is with much sadness that I make this blog post :(
Our family dog of 16 years died yesterday of old age. Sam was her name and she was a beautiful Boykin Spaniel. Most people aren't familiar with the breed, but they are out of the Carolinas and are excellent water dogs.

(You'll have to forgive the pictures here- all I have are digital shots, which have all been taken in the last 5 years, so the best, older shots will have to be scanned someday when I'm at my parents house...)

When I was a little girl, I was terribly afraid of dogs. See, I was knocked over on the beach as a baby by a big black dog, and was since terrified. So, my fear grew to be a little too much and my Mom decided one day that it was time to just go ahead and get a dog (I was in the 3rd grade). Side note: We did not have pets: no fishes, frogs, hampsters or anything. Getting a dog was a big deal. A friend of Mom's had heard of a local litter of Boykins and so we went and picked her up and Kyle and I were immediately in love. Needless to say, Dad was pretty surprised when he came home from work that day! He decided that since we got a pet without his approval, then he would be the one to name her. Her name had to be simple, one-syllable and something he wouldn't be embarrassed to yell up and down the street, so he chose Sam. "Sam I am," he said.We grew to love the name, but many people still confused her to be a boy because of it :)

Anyway, Sam eleviated all of my dog fears and became an important member of the family. She was well-behaved, had quite a quirky personality, and entertained us throughout the years. She LOVED the water & the lake; we took her every summer weekend. She rode on the front of our boat like a hood ornament of a car. People on other boats always pointed at her in shock! Only pictures do this trick justice! I'll have to find a good one. She swam for hours. She chased the water hose when we sprayed her in the front yard. She couldn't get enough of it! People were amazed by her affection for water.

Boykins are bred to hunt ducks, birds, etc. Though Sam was never formally trained, she had the instincts! We often found dead birds around the shrubs. I'll never forget how she would "stalk" the fake wooden birds in Mom's decorative bird cage inside the house. Hilarious! Sam was also a big gypsy. She would escape and tramp around the neighborhood as often as possible, but she always came back for dinner. In one house we lived in, Dad installed the "shock collar" system, but it didn't stop her. We saw her numerous times leap over the gate and just bark as it zapped her. Didn't phase the dog. She'd just jump right back over when the animal control people came looking for her.

(here she is checking out the latest catch)

She was wonderful and everybody loved her, especially me. She was so connected to us. When Kyle died, she stayed very close to Mom's side and would also stare out the window a lot. Almost as if she knew he was gone and we were in pain. She really was "man's best friend."


I'm so glad that I went home to my parent's house this past weekend. She seemed in good health considering her age. We played together and snuggled on the couch for a long time. She was in such good spirits. That's why we were all surprised that yesterday her breathing slowed and she just passed away. We are fortunate that our cleaning lady was at the house and she called Mom; Mom took her to the vet and got to be with her as she went to Heaven.

After all, all dogs do go to Heaven. I'm so thankful for Sam and the memories I have with her. She'll always be a part of our family. We'll miss her forever :)