Entrant's First Name
Nancy

City
Asheville

My Story
Sam was surrendered to Asheville Humane as a senior, I don't know the particulars but I do know that sometimes things just happen. I happened to be in Asheville Humane one day to pick up foster puppies and saw him there. I went into one of the yards with him and he immediately sat for a ball. I had NO intention of adopting an "old dog." I had just lost a beautiful "old dog" named George that had also been adopted from Asheville Humane in September, 2014.

I gathered my foster puppies that day and went home. I could not get Sam off my mind. I knew that senior dogs can be expensive. They have joint problems and skin problems and incontinence problems and problems tolerating food on occasion. However, having just had my George for a few brief weeks, I also knew that "old dogs" don't ask for much. They ask for their meals and sometimes help getting up and down down stairs and little else but love and patience. What they give is companionship, content to lie by one's side for hours at a time; they give comfort; Sam was my healing after I lost my George so quickly and unexpectedly; they give love, unconditionally and with reservation.

I lost Sam on January 29, 2018. He had celebrated his 16th birthday with a cake on November 11, 2017, His "Gotcha Day" was January 5, 2015. Little did I know how much love could be packed into 3 short years. Sam ran and played on the beaches of Saint Augustine and Jekyll Island. We were rarely without him by our side. Our goal was to pack as much life and love into whatever time we had with Sam.

Losing a dog is tough. I'm not over the loss of Sam and probably never will be. He went to work with me everyday. I still look for him on his giant dog bed that is still in our bedroom. Would I do I again? In a minute flat! I'm so grateful that the folks at Asheville Humane know that many of us have hearts for old dogs & I'm grateful that they see the beauty in faded eyes and old souls.