Sammi, 2014 adopted dog

3/11/15: Today we want to share with you all the story of Sammi, for whom the fund is named, and Lewis. When Sammi arrived at Forget Me Not, she was a shy, unsocialized, traumatized border collie whose owner - the only person she had ever really known and interacted with - died. We did not hesitate to take Sammi in and help heal her physical ailments, but we could not have imagined the wonderful next chapter to her story.

Our first walk together was brief. She seemed confused. The second a bit longer; after that she loved our walks. Until daylight savings time stole our evening light, we took three 1.5 mile walks in the daylight and a 1 mile walk in the dark. At night we wear flashing red lights (four of them) and I have my maglite. We stay on the sidewalk and get our mile in together that way.

After about two weeks, Sammi discovered her nose! She had been walking straight ahead, not paying much attention to anything around her. Then, magic. She began sniffing as we walked. She sniffed everything. It seemed like her nose was an amazing discovery and we both enjoy our walks together more than ever.

Sammi is possessive of me and jealous when people visit. She doesn't act "mean" but puts herself between me and the visitors. Or if they head toward the sofa or love seat, she'll beat them to it. It took months to temper that behavior.

Sammi didn't get her voice until late October. She was very quiet and didn't respond with barking to outside noises or really, anything else. One night we heard car doors slam across the street and she growled, looked up at me and whined a little! I praised her, told her she was a good girl and since then she has been my good little watch dog. Took her a while to understand she wouldn't be punished for guarding. Now she is praised for alerting me.

The behavior that made me sad and took the longest to overcome was her fear of my hands around her head. She would tuck her head into her shoulder and sometimes flinch when I s l o w l y moved my hand towards her. She acted like she was going to be punished. When I rubbed her ears she would yipe and pull away like I was hurting her. My trainer said it's not uncommon for people to punish their dogs by pulling their ears and she thought that was probably the case with Sammi. Unbelievable (to me, at least). Sammi would get a suspicious look on her face whenever I would come near her head with my hands. The trainer suggested continuing what I was doing, which was being loving and gentle and talking with her is a soft voice.Right after Christmas it all paid off. The suspicious look vanished and she can't get enough ears and chin scratching. It just happened.

Sammi and I are almost like an old married couple. We are rarely more than 10 feet away from each other. She loves to go for rides, and I take her everywhere I can.

Sammi has many beds she sleeps on. She loves the sofa, more so after I put a quilt on it (muddy feet). She has her orthopedic bed next to my recliner she goes to when she needs belly and chest rubbing (a lot). At night she sleeps next to me on our bed or sometimes in a doggy bolster bed, next to the wall in our bedroom. Or on any of the carpet runners on the hardwoods when she needs a more leverage for a good scratch or lick.

I couldn't be happier with Sammi. She has provided me with everything I wanted or needed in a best friend. I hope I provide her with the same.

I got the email and saw the facebook posting about the Sammi Fund. Wow! I shared it with everyone I thought would be interested with instructions to decide what they could afford and double it!

I'm writing a check today for the fund. If you could, I would like it in memory of Marlene who is, I'm sure, responsible for Sammi being with me. Sammi was there when I was raw and didn't know what I was going to do or if I even wanted to do it. She's my reason for getting up in the morning and starting my day. She's there at the end of the day lying next to me. That's why I am so sure of Marlene's hand in this story.

I know a major concern folks have about adopting an older dog is the short time they will have with them. Maybe four instead of fourteen years. That wasn't the experience Marlene and I had with our previous seniors, Nora and Jesse, at all. No more than six months after Nora and Jesse came to live with us, we had a hard time remembering when they weren't a part of our family. We heard similar comments from other senior dog adopters. Nora lived for two more years and Jesse four. Their deaths couldn't have been more soul wrenching if they had been with us from puppyhood. It really seemed like we were together for always."

We have added photos of Marlene, and of Sammi in her new home, to the photo gallery. One day, hopefully years from now, it will be Sammi's turn to cross the Rainbow Bridge, but we know Marlene and Jesse and Nora will be there waiting to welcome her... and Lewis will somehow find the love and the strength to get up once again and welcome home another senior who needs him.

When you are ready for a new friend, why not open your heart and home to a senior? Who knows... your new senior just might rescue you, too.

Great news! Sammi eats her dinner, from a bowl, like any other dog. Marilyn, the manager Burien Mud Bay, just wouldn't give up. Every time I visit the store, she sends me home with a few free cans to try. She gave me samples of Sojos, freeze dried, raw dog food last week and Sammi licked the bowl clean. Not just once or twice, but for the last week. The cost is about the same as premium canned food, but since I usually discarded more than Sammi ate it's much cheaper. She has one cup of Taste of the Wild kibble for breakfast. I keep it in my jacket pocket and feed it to her like a snack on our morning walk. For dinner she has a whole bowl of Sojos. Hooray!

With all of this darkness, Sammi and I only have two long (1.5 miles) walks a day instead of the three we had been enjoying with more daylight. We always have one short 3/4 mile walk just before we go to bed, wearing our red blinking lights and with a flashlight.

I'm going to add a trust, as a codicil, to my will for Sammi, so what happened to her (and too many other dogs) won't happen to her again. I really do owe her my life and what peace of mind I have. She has been more than a blessing. I talked to my attorney today, and he'll add the trust as a codicil to my current will. I hope to have it done by the end of the year. He said he could have it prepared in about a day, once he has the information.

I am going to include a statement to the trustee that I don't expect and wouldn't approve of any painful heroic, measures to extend Sammi's life if she becomes critically ill. Marlene and I believe that when a dog can no longer really be a dog, it's time for their journey across the rainbow bridge. It brings tears to my eyes imagining Sammi needlessly suffering through painful and frightening procedures.

Sammi and I are rarely more than 20 feet away from one another, so I forget to take pictures of her. This week I will and email them to you. She has developed a great, if weird smile, when she's on her back getting her tummy rubbed.

Sammi is still being stubborn about eating, but since Sheila's visit last week, she's eaten all of her meals (what she would eat at least) standing up in the kitchen. Mostly from my had, sometime from the floor, but except for her hard boiled eggs, peanut butter coated supplements and Greenies, NOT off the dish. But, eventually she will. Sheila will be back Monday to continue eating "therapy" and learning how to play. I need the play training as much as Sammi. If we have the time, I have a 30' long lead that we'll use to start recall training.

Got your email about 10 minutes before the trainer, Sheila Jobe arrived. She was glad to read the email. In 1 1/2 hours Sammi is on her way to eating from a dish and playing. We decided eating in the kitchen was a good place for her to eat. We took her food and princess plate into the kitchen and Sheila gave her a taste from her fingers, then on the floor and finally a few bites on the plate. It was like magic! She didn't eat as much as she normally does, but she ate enough.I think in a few weeks her eating problems will be a memory. I know that patience is the key for this girl. Then she had her peanut butter coated supplements and mashed boiled egg, standing up, from a dish, as she always does. I think she would eat the boiled egg from a hubcap! Then we went outside and played! There isn't much play in my heart, but I can fake it, and I did. We had her chasing the green tennis ball and acting like a puppy.

BTY many people said "let her go hungry, she'll eat after a few days . . . " I knew in my heart she would gorge, then spend a few days with nothing, then gorge, etc. etc. Not good for Sammi and terrible for me. I couldn't do it. Sheila confirmed my suspicions after reading your email. She thinks her former person probably fed her from the table from her own plate while Sammi was lying next to her. Sounds possible to me, we'll never know.

I'll keep you up to date on my girl, and next time send you some pictures of her on a long lead at the farm behind my house. Sammi still has poor recall, so I feel a long lead is a good idea until her recall becomes more reliable: another thing to work on.

What a girl I have! I couldn’t be any happier than I am with Sammi. Well, maybe a tiny bit, eating is still problematic, but compared to all of the love and companionship she and I enjoy, I will feed her any way she needs to be fed.

The first morning Sammi was at home, we took our first walk. And what a short walk it was! We walked by the house next door, crossed the street, walked past the house across the street and came home! She really didn’t know anything about a lead or how to walk. But, she’s a border collie. The third day we took our first long, morning walk and I would give her a 6 out of 10. Same with the long PM walk. The walks are 1 ¼ mile long, so we get 2 ½ miles a day. Great for both of us.

She’s learned pretty fast. We just got back from a different walk (you should have seen her nose with all of the different smells), probably about 1 ½ miles and she’s up to 9 out of 10. She still occasionally diagonals in front of me, but I keep a keen eye on her and haven’t tripped. When that happens, we stop for about a minute and a squat down, pet her and tell her how much I love her, and we continue on our way. Probably not in any dog training book, but it’s been working real well for us.

The cats. They were an issue, but not because of anything threatening that Sammi did. They were use to a deaf, slow moving old guy who deferred to them. When they came into a room with Sammi, Sammi’s head would pop up to see what/who it was. That frightened them enough to run back into the spare bedroom where they hung out. The door was blocked so there was just room for them to get in.

I thought they would get use to Sammi in time, but they didn’t. My son Jacob, who has known Gracie and Izzy since we rescued them a year ago and loves them. He always wanted a bonded pair of cuddly indoor cats.

Yup, Gracie & Izzy have a new home, with a couple who love them both dearly, and I get to see them all of the time. Without Sammi.

Except my attachment to the kitties, I love them too and have had a cat in my life since I was 8, it all turned out, maybe the way it should. Jacob, Abby & the kitties are happy.

Our daily schedule is to wake up (not always easy), run out for a pee and then get dressed for our walk. We have several routes. They are all over 1 ¼ miles. When return, Sammi gets brushed with a two-headed groomers brush, a rake run through her coat and then combed. She gets a brushing after both long walks. After the walk we have a 15-20 minute cuddle. Cuddles are important for both of us. Afterwards, God willing, Sammi has breakfast. With the help of the manager of Mud Bay, we have found a few things she likes. On a plain dish (sometimes), one spoonful at a time, while she’s lying down. And I don’t care.

She loves Evangers Duck and Sweet Potatoes. I always read labels, and when calories were missing, I called Evangers. It has 674 calories a can! About twice as many calories per can as any other food. So Sammi gets ½ a can of Evangers, a chopped up (in a little sour cream) boiled egg, her morning supplements, ½ a Costco dog biscuit and ½ of a tiny Greenie. Her eggs are the only thing she eats, standing up, over the plate. She always licks the plate clean.

I have been supplementing her diet with 1 Vetri-Science canine plus senior vitamin, 2 Costco fish oil capsules and a Cosequin DS Plus glucosamine tablet. The fish oil goes down real well with a little smooth peanut butter on it. I split the supplements AM/PM. Dinner is much the same, except I’ve been experimenting with whole cans of food with around 300 calories or less per can. There are two (so far) she likes.

She gets a few treats during the day, but very few. I know how easy it is to allow your dog to turn into a real porker, and Sammi is perfect the way she is. I took her on a “happy” trip to the vets’ office this afternoon. Just went in, walked around, let her get the scent of the clinic in her nose and memory, gave her a treat and weighted her, and went back to the car. She weighed 39 pounds.

I know there is a playful Sammi inside of her. She sometimes dances and yips happily with her face full of expression when I ask if she would like to go for a walk. Almost like a puppy.

I am going to have a dog trainer give me a hand. Her name is Jennifer Jobe. I spoke with her for about 45 minutes last week. I told her I needed her help to teach Sammi and I to play, to assess and make recommendations about her eating needs and to help with recall. In that order. I hope to start getting her help next week. I’ll keep you informed.

I found a beautiful little park a few miles away. It’s 2x2x2 blocks in size. I take Sammi there before our long evening walk to expose her to a different environment. She’s good for one trip around the perimeter and then she wants to go home. We do, and start our longer walk. I’m trying to introduce new situations into her life, and since I’m retired I devote a lot of time to her.

I know the trainer will want to know anything you can share with us about Sammi’s first ten years. Anything you know will be useful. All I’ve been able to tell her is she lived with a woman for 10 years, the woman died and Sammi was lucky enough to end up in your care.

I don't think she had any leash training at all, but she's a smart girl and has mostly figured it out. The first two "walks" were past the house next to me, across the street, past the house across the street and home. She was all over the place! Partly because her brain was still blitzed and partly because she didn't know what she was expected to do.

Tuesday afternoon we drove to the farm behind my home and spent 30-40 minutes discovering stuff. It was the first time I saw her sniff things, and boy did she ever! Since then we take a 10 block walk in the morning and evening and always make a trip to the farm.

If I sit on the sofa I have a Sammi next to me in a flash. And I love that. When I am in the wing chair she lounges in a big, thick circular dog bed next to me. At night, she sleeps in her Kuranda bed, with a bolster and her babies, a few feet away from my own bed.

And no, she won't let herself die of thirst. There is a big (10") sliver water bowl in the living room and she uses it.

She and the cats are still coming to an understanding. I have no worries they will work things out.

My vet saw the labs and told me not to worry. We'll see him the first week in Sept.

My ONLY concern with Sammi is her eating! I have given her Costco pate' and stews, Taste of the Wild flavors have been bison and boar. I always smash a hard boiled egg with a little soft butter and add it to the food. She always licks the boiled egg bowl clean.

About best results I've had is with the Costco pate', spooned (tiny portions) onto the corner of her rectangular plate, and then only when she's laying down in bed!

The cans are all 14 oz., and I give her half a can per meal. Even with the boiled egg at each meal, it sound like it's less volume than she was getting from the shelter.

What was the formula, trick, magic, spell or whatever did you guys did to finally get her to mostly eat from her dish?

I've put the dish in different locations, against walls, in the open, and in my office (where she naps in a kennel on her kennel mattress when I'm busy on the computer). The door is never closed. I'm not interested in kennel training her. I have a blanket that covers 3 of the 4 open sides, and my other dogs liked to hang out there occasionally. So the location of where she eats doesn't seem to matter. The cats are never around when she "eats".

I have quite often rolled the food into little balls and had her eat it out of my hand.

Boy, has she ever got me trained! It's not that she has no appetite because I think she is a bottomless pit for chicken, Costco dog biscuits, Greenies and just about any other kind of treat.

I HAVEN'T been feeding her treats instead of food! She's had tastes of the these things, small tastes, and she loves them!

I have read and been told to put her meal out, show her where it is and put it up in 20-30 minutes, and bring it out again the next meal time. It sounds hateful to me, but I'm almost ready to give it a shot.

P.S. Left her alone for the first time this afternoon to go to the bank, 30 minutes later when I got back she was still snoozing on the couch. I have learned not to make a big deal of coming or going from the house. Been practicing going in and out. I think she was accustomed to it.