Farewell, Sam

Sam passed away last night, Tuesday, January 5th, one month to the day after having his first (known) seizure,  It has been a hard month for all of us here, especially for Sam.  He had a second stoke and tried but couldn't come back from it.  It hasn't been quite ten months since we lost Cameron.

Sam was a big dog, not a gentle giant, as he had no idea how strong he was.  But he was loving and fun - goofy even.  He loved treats and until the last few months he loved to be first to have his picture taken when the camera came out.  At one time, he and Marcus were always vying to be first to have a picture taken when the camera appeared.  He was a huge presence and I will miss him more than I care to consider.

Mr. Doug thought it funny to hear, "We froze last night trying to keep the house cold,"  but it's the truth.  We had to keep it cold until Mr. Doug could come this afternoon and pick up Sam's body.  Sam will be buried next to Miss Mother's Benji and Shorty and Mr. Doug's assorted dogs.

Merci, the sensitive soul, has been sick, too.  Right after Sam passed last night, she sniffed the covers I took off his body, wadded them up and lay down at Sam's feet.   She stayed there until I went to bed.  Then she came to sleep in her own bed in the bedroom.  As soon as I got up this morning, she was back at her vigil, which she kept until Mr. Doug arrived.

Thank you for all the prayers and kind words through this.  They have meant a lot.

Two days before Christmas I wore myself out tearing my bedroom apart to move and wash everything, so I could gate Sam in that one room to try to protect him as he wandered around.  In the early hours of Christmas Eve morning, the phone rang.  An early phone call is bad news, so I answered the phone in my bare feet.  It was the county emergency warning system, but in the dark I couldn't find the #1 to press to get the message - tornado warning (or watch).  As I walked back to bed, I remembered to move the gate aside, but I forgot the heavy toolbox behind it to keep any of the dogs from moving the gate.  I killed one toenail and injured my toes, possibly broke one.

Christmas afternoon Marcus leaped a rolled up carpet as I headed for the door to let the dogs outside.  He landed hard, smack up against the foot that was moving forward.  It stopped my foot but my body was still moving.  A doorknob stopped me from falling down but things started popping in my back and leg.  The next two or three days were spent screaming from the pain in my knee/leg every time I tried to sit down, stand up, or walk.   A couple of days later little Merci popped a muscle in my leg.

There were sick animals, everything was in the house was damp and covered with tracked in mud, Micah tried to kill Percy, all the animals were acting up, Buddy and Merci were refusing to go outside in the pouring rain ... And if anyone has ever popped their tailbone out of alignment, you know what happens.  Through all of this, I was caring for a sick 70 pound dog.  And, believe it or not, there were many days when Marcus was the well-behaved Funny Farmer! 

So, for those of you who have asked, you perhaps now have some idea of why I wasn't responding.  I could barely sit on a chair for five minutes.  Fast emails.  Get offline!  But thank you for caring about us.

Miss Suzanne, Miss Joanne, Miss Johnnie, Miss Cynthia - I am grateful for the meal you each sent or dropped off during the holidays.  I wasn't able to do much for myself and appreciated every bite.

I especially appreciate Mr. Doug's help with Sam's body; however, he injured his back carrying Sam the last yards to the van, and I am very concerned despite his protests he'll be okay.

Sam, I don't believe in the Rainbow Bridge because it isn't Biblical, but I can almost see you running circles  around the meadow, full of life, playing hard, and stealing treats. R.I.P., sweet boy.