Anne's Best Friend.

When I was younger, I did not enjoy dogs. I didn't think about them as a best friend or a creature to cuddle when you wanted something warm and snuggly. I have good reasons for disliking dogs. The dog across the street was a Dalmatian (by the way, when was the last time you saw a Dalmatian? Seriously...it's been ages. Are they extinct?) and she decided to chase me while I was on my bike. I tried to get away but I fell on the ground and skinned my knee. Okay, that may be my only actual reason but most dogs I'd come in contact with were big and I was scared so that made them feel funny and therefore try to "attack" me. Attack probably meant befriend but I was young and naive, how should I know? So I did what any dog-fearing child would do...I took the hamster route. The fuzzy, soft factor was there and I could hold those creatures in the palm of my hand. Sounds good until they started to poop in my hand. Two hamsters later, I realized I wasn't a hamster person. I think I was, what you say, "growing up." My sister, Melissa, was a dog lover (and still is, but we are reflecting here). She wanted a dog her entire childhood and about 14 years ago, she got what she wanted. Our family was on our way out the door for vacation but we decided to stop and look at some dogs. Spoiler Alert: We didn't just look! Sam, a tiny, black, Peke-a-poo, became the newest member of our family. At this point in my life, I could accept a puppy. I was bigger than Sam. Sam was adorable. Therefore, it was all good. I loved telling people that he was a Peke-a-poo. "Half pekinese, half poodle. He doesn't shed and he will only weigh about 12 pounds. How AWESOME is that?!" That's usually how I bragged. When I think about it now, I don't remember what life was like without a dog. I'm nearly 22 and Sam has been our dog for 14 years. In the early stages, Sam had mad hops. Anytime we had meat on the counter, Sam decided he should see what it looked like and proceeded to launch his tiny body off the ground until he saw the counter top. He barked whenever we cut apples or opened the kitchen window. He barked at any sign of life he saw in front of our house. He chased any tennis ball at any time. He darted outside if the door was left open and we'd chase him down the block until we caught him while he was peeing. All of these actions may have seemed annoying at the time, but I loved the proof that Sam was adventurous and always interested. Do you know what wasn't annoying? Anytime someone in our family was injured, or sad, or crying, or in need of a couch buddy, he knew. He was always there. If we didn't see him, we'd trip over him. A simple accident, but it made us realize Sam was still down there living his life and just trying to enjoy our company as much as we enjoyed his company. We really did enjoy his company. I know I can speak for my family when I say that. Sure, everyone has their good and bad moments but Sam's good moments far outweigh his bad. Sam has been aging lately. Although, you wouldn't guess if you just saw him. Few gray hairs, and never had a dye job! Okay, I'm trying to bring humor to a very difficult and sad day. I knew before I left for this school year that I wouldn't be able to see Sammy again. I took a million pictures of him. I hugged him as much as possible. I told him everything would be okay. I explained that the hamsters didn't hold a candle to him. I prayed for him.  I cried to him.  I said I'd miss him so much. Then I was gone. Over a month later, we have to say goodbye to Sam forever. I hope his pain is gone and his aches disappear. While my pain and aches are still here, I know that Sammy will be someplace better. We'll be missing you, Sam. Always.

             Best,
                    Anne