Da new kid

Much has happened since the Alpaca incident. When I got home, Rosy the Weim was acting horribly depressed. Neither she or Max were very friendly with other dogs, but they were close in their own way.

Rosie is a notorious beggar for food..she is my constant companion when I am cooking, hoping that something will fall off the counter for her to scarf down.

One morning, I put a piece of corn bread in her bowl. She sniffed at it, gave me a woeful look and went to go lay on the couch. She didn't want to move, play, cuddle, or eat. Not good.

The hubby and I decided we needed to get her a pal sooner rather than later.

I am a big believer in rescued dogs. You can spend a chunk of change on a dog from a breeder (which unless you can visit the site in person is probably a puppy mill) or you can go to your local shelter and give a pooch a second chance.

I started cruising the Dumb Friends site.

Don't get me wrong..Naughtius was a peice of my soul. I loved him more than I have ever loved a dog before. But I never wanted a Lab. I wanted a northern breed. I grew up with a Spitz, I loved the soft fluffy coat and friendly but independent nature.

Jace has accused me of wanting a northern breed just because they have spinnable fur.....

Whatever the reason, within a few days we found a picture of Samoa on the Dumb Friends site.I sent it to Jace, immediately captivated by his ice blue eyes and intelligent look.

I bailed on my stitch and bitch to go see him. I waited and waited. There was a family behind me of rednecks that wanted to see him too. I was glad I got there first.

Tired of waiting, I went to walk through the kennels to see him. I found him, laying in a puddle of his own pee, head turned away from people's curious gazes. I sent him a mental conversation. I asked if he was the one that would come home with us. Amazingly, he lifted his head and looked at me. His icy eyes had far more impact in person. I thought I heard the answer back "get me out of here...please" (that would be the obvious answer I am sure) I promised I would try.

I finally got called and sat anxiously in the adoption room. Rosie was waiting in the car in case it looked good and they could meet.

They brought him in and our eyes locked. He put his head down and wagged his big fluffy tail in the same way Max used to.

The adoption councilor shut the door and we introduced ourselves. I ran my fingers through his soft fluffy coat, he put his black nose against mine and gave me a lick on the face. He knew sit, shake and down. Someone loved this guy and took the time to train him.

Jace was on his way, and came in. He claims his heart was stolen when he saw the photo of him.

We introduced Rosie and it was the first time I had seen her play in about a year.

It was a done deal. As we were checking out, the cashier said she was glad we were adopting him and not the family behind us. They had been insisting that we had enough time to see him and it was their turn. We were pretty glad too.

Sam and Rosie became instant buds. Their morning greetings would start about 7:30. Rosie on the bed, Sam howling at her and butting noses with her. It would end up in a wrestling match that usually went down the stairs and stopped when I put food in their bowls.

One morning, I got out of the shower and saw Sam sitting in front of Rosie carefully licking her ears...Rosie looking like she was the queen of the universe. He brings her toys and howls if she doesn't play with him. He howls to amuse himself and when animal planet is on too.

He has taken a while to warm up to us, which is probably good. Humans mourn longer than dogs I think, and it has taken time to make some room in my heart for him.

We go on a daily walk now, which is helping me with my physical issues. I laugh at their antics and am amazed by how quickly they take to training together. Occassionally, Sam will scoot closer to Rosie while we are walking and give her a lick on the face..almost like he is saying "Ain't life grand?!"

My heart is warming to him quickly. You can't replace a dog, but you can definitely grow to know another!

Oh yeah, and we named him Sam. Simple, fitting and rhymes with a bunch of nicknames.