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Sammi lived for many years with her first owner, but had to move on when he moved into a care facility. The man's daughter located a new home for Sammi, but all-to-soon the new owner's health declined too, and he had to give her back to the daughter. The daughter was desperately trying to locate a good home for Sammi, who was now in a boarding kennel.
Sammi was 15 years old when she came to the attention of Big Heart
Rescue. Without a new home the old dog might have to be put down.
It's always hard to place an older pet... everyone wants a puppy ! And as one would expect at her age, Sammi had a few health issues too. Luckily, a family of Big Heart volunteers offered to make a place for her in their lives. Here is a note from Sammi's forever home: Greetings from Sammi’s new mom and dad! Well, it has been five months now and we couldn’t be happier that Sammi came into our lives. It has been so heartwarming to witness all of her “firsts” including her 1st bone (which she had to learn to chew and not bury), the 1st time she laid on her side to sleep (and not with her face between her front paws as if she needed to be ready to pounce if necessary), her 1st time at the beach (running into the ocean and through the sand after a ball like a puppy), the 1st time she jumped onto the bed (which has now become a favorite napping spot), the 1st time she rolled onto her back for a belly rub and oh, so many more! When she first came to us she was none too pleased finding out that she had to share her new home with two other dogs and it has taken up until just recently for her to realize that her canine brother and sister only want to be friends. We are really proud of all three of them for hanging in there and figuring it all out! It’s a pleasure to watch the 3 of them outside on a walk where they are often nose to nose searching for that same hidden gem in the grass. She knows she is an important member of the pack and if she gets more than a few feet behind because she has stopped to explore, she runs to catch up…and sometimes even leads, which is pretty impressive for a 16 year old! It also took awhile for her to really connect with us humans…now she will look us in the face, come to us unsolicited for a good face scratch (and we are always happy to oblige!), loves her evening massages and if we are lucky we even get kisses…oh, and that magnificent tail of hers is now wagging more often than not! She LOVES her food and her car rides and her walks and her naps…did I say she LOVED her food? If she is napping on the bed, every so often she will jump off, come out to the living room which is only a few feet away, check out what everyone is doing, and once satisfied that she is not missing out on anything exciting she will turn around and jump back on the bed for another snooze, Physically, Sammi has improved a lot as well. She came to us with a persistent honking cough that disappeared within 3-4 days (must be the good clean island air!) and her teeth that were a major concern, are no longer a problem thanks to the bones she is chewing on a regular basis. She is still pretty stiff standing up and lying down, but the cartrophen injections and supplements help and once she is up, she is eager and ready to go…whenever and wherever! Watching Sammi come out of her shell and blossom into a truly happy dog has been a real joy for us…we are looking forward to many more ‘firsts’ and to making many more happy memories for her as the days go by. Our sincere thanks to Big Heart Rescue Society for making this possible. Welcome home Sammi…you are here to stay pumpkin!
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