Erik read a blog that I wrote where I brushed over Sammy's roots. Although he thought it was a good synopsis, he did not think it did that adventure justice. I told him I would dedicate a new post to Sammy's homecoming. See now, Sammy was our 'accident.'
Last summer Erik and I were apartment shopping. We wanted something where we could get a pup. Originally I wanted to save a dog from the humane society and he wanted to get a puppy. Apartment shopping for apartments of reasonable prices and accepting of dogs was not fun. Eventually, by luck of the draw, we found the Fox Run Apartments. They were nice looking. Close to both the schools we needed to be close by and not too far from our jobs. They had nice big pantrys, walk in closets, an atrium (in ours) and a circle, through the dining room, kitchen and living room, my favorite part. They also accepted dogs. After putting down the deposit and having a future home, we looked towards the puppy part. Fox Run had a deal with the humane society where the dog would be half price and pet deposit half price, as well. Sounded great, so we looked into the humane society a couple times. Wonderful dogs, but they exceeded the 40 lb. limit given by Fox Run. My aunt and our friends have a Basset Hound and I thought a Basset would be great! They have those droopy, sad eyes, long floppy ears and they drooled and slobbered. I don't know why, but I find the slobbery, drooling dog just so endearing! Our other friends had just gotten a puppy that was a Minature Schnauzer. He was a super sweet dog. He didn't seem like a Schnauzer because he didn't have his tail docked and they let him keep his shaggy hair, rather than the "schzauzer cut." Erik enjoys anime and, I don't remember which one, but one of them has a dog as a main-ish character, named Ein. Ein was a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. He kept talking to me about the corgi. I kinda half listened because I didn't want an anime dog! I had a dog breed book and we refered to it frequently. I tried to expand my horizons, Erik kept coming back to the Pembroke Welsh Corgi.We were at a stalemate, which was just fine because we couldn't have a dog yet anyway.
Over the couple of months prior to moving, and really talking about a dog, we tried different names. We couldn't agree on names either. I liked Charlie and Chloe. Erik didn't want to pick a name until we got a dog, a nice way of saying, those names suck. One afternoon after packing I took a nap. There was a noise that woke me up and apparently I had been dreaming of getting a dog and I thought the dog jumped on me so I woke up telling 'Sammy' not to jump on me! In my dream, Sammy was short for Samerson. So we had a name for a boy dog, Samerson. Still not seeing eye to eye for a girl.
August 6, 2009. Day before moving day. We are finishing up getting ready to move. Erik likes fish. We have fish and lots of fish stuff and even more fish books. We frequent the petstores looking at the latest stock in fish. Erik does lots of research looking at fish stuff online and setting up pretend aquariums. We have Aquarium magazine. We even have a dvd that is live footage of chiclids in Lake Tanganyika. At the time we had an angelfish and a picasomist. We drove down the street to Petland to get travel bags for the fish. To get to the fish, you have to get past everything else...including the puppies. I love dogs. I always have. Why walk through all the aisles when you could walk past all the puppies? So we did. There was a sad little corgi all by himself in a crate. He looked so sad, and too big for his crate. They have two levels of puppies with windows facing the store. Each crate has a fence-like bottom where their bathroom falls through, and they have a water bottle for drinking. Most puppies have roommates, but the big ones are alone. I looked at Erik and said, "Ok, lets just look at the corgi. I wanna see what they are like, up close. You really want one, so lets just check him out." He said fine and we flagged down a worker. He put us in a little room and said he would be right out with him. Said he was a great dog, one of the best. It took less than a second before I was off the seat and on the floor to the little guy. He walked right up to me and gave me a kiss on the nose! That was it for me, I was gone. Erik began working the numbers immediately.
Sammy in his crate at Petland. (Cell Phone Pic)
He was adorable. He warmed up pretty fast, and he was definately curious. They guy came over after a couple minutes and talked to us about him. Told us how he had been there a long time. Told us that he was very sweet and loving, but a little sad and depressed. Told us that their vets had detected some hip displacia, but that after being adopted he would be able to still be active and all, just careful. He told us this little pup was a clearance pup. Originally priced at over a thousand dollars, he was under three hundred. Still came with all the perks. He gave us a couple more minutes and a toy to play with. We both wanted him. Me probably more than Erik, but then again, he kissed my nose! When we talked to the guy, we told him about how we were going to be moving the next day and that we really wanted him, was there a way we could make sure no one else could buy him! We bought him that day, along with everything else. We really didn't plan on a puppy for at least a month or two. They were going to hold him the next day, and even to the following day if we needed. I didn't think we would need that extra day, I didn't think I would be able to wait any longer! So he asked if we had a name, and so he became Samerson.
They put up a little sign on his window saying "Sammy has been adopted" so noone would get the wrong idea about my little puppy! Lol. It was very hard to put him back. I tried to explain to him, this was just temporary and that we would be back tomorrow for him. I don't know why, but I just wanted him to understand it. Then we left with a bag of new puppy items and our free fish travel bags. After leaving I sent the pic to all my friends to show off my baby! Then we drove to my mom's to show her her new grandpuppy! His middle name was sorted out that night. Samerson Wegener. Alfred Wegener is the founder of plate tectonics, basically the father of modern geology. I am a geology major, so it seemed apprioate!
August 7, 2009. Moving day. I barely got any sleep thinking about Sammy having to sleep alone again. I knew he had his blanket, but I wanted to bring him home! Needless to say, I gained some super powers for moving. It was quite amazing. It was the hottest day of the year, really it was. And we were moving to a third floor apartment. We had some help, but we had alot of big and heavy things. It was not fun in the least. I just kept thinking about Sammy and getting done fast meant getting him faster. When picking up a box, I would say "this is for Sammy!" Kept my spirits high. Erik however didn't handle moving so well. He was probably in heat stroke. After everyone had left, I wanted to straighten up a couple things. Pick up cords, make clear routes through the apartment for us before Sammy came home. I also wanted a full bowl of water, food and treats put away, as well as toys put out for him. Then I awakened Erik from his passed out state and said, "I'm going to get him, are you coming?"
He didn't drive nearly fast enough! Ugh. I couldn't wait to bring him home. We got there and I couldn't stand still until they brought out my little baby! Oh, he was even cuter than the day before! He was immediately curious when he got his harness on and tightened to his size. Then he got a leash. I also had his fox with us, but that wasn't as exciting. Even though he could have been mobile, I ended up carrying him. Outside the front door, he was already going into what we have coined: ADD Pup. He hadn't been able to do this before. Sammy had only been in the crate since his arrival to Petland. He was born April 10, 2009, so he was 3 days short of 4 months old. A four month old puppy who hadn't really been outside. It was sad to think of, but it was all going to change. All the sounds, smells, noises and two new people with a weird rope around him. Had to be weird for him. Sammy didn't whine or struggle, his nose, ears and eyes were going every which way trying to capture everything. In the car, he warmed right up and tried looking out the window the whole way. Then we arrived at the complex. We took him up the inital stairs to the grassy area between the apartments and the garages. I set him down in the grass. He just stood there like a deer in headlights. Then he stretched one paw out as if to say "One small step for puppy, One giant leap for Sammy!" It was late afternoon/early evening mid summer, there were lots of bugs and scents. It took him maybe 2 minutes before he began trying to get bugs and looked like a hound dog with his nose to the ground. We let him do his thing for about 10 minutes, but he was panting so I carried him up all the stairs to our new apartment. He drank the entire bowl of water! Little did I know, his thirst would never be quenched. He drinks more than my dad's hunting dogs did! After getting a drink he came out and curled up next to the couch and took a long nap. We woke him up around 8, just before it got dark, gave him dinner and took him back out. He went potty right away and then Sammy had lots of fun running up and down the slight incline. There were lots of bugs now, and he had fun trying to catch them in the air and on the ground. We came back in and Erik's sister and her fiancee came over and brought him a tennis ball. It was so cute because he was much too small to play with a tennis ball properly so he just nosed it around. Then he passed out.
August 8, 2009. Sammy didn't wake up once the whole night. He was up about 530 in the morning, went out and came back in and went to sleep. It took less than 2 weeks before he was no longer get up before 8 unless we did. We had a fun morning. We played outside and investigated the apartment. I remember he never made it all the way around the circle, always got distracted along the way. We took him out to the balcony we had and found that he could walk right under the railings, so we put up all sorts of things to block it off, then he had lots of fun. Sammy had one accident that morning. After Erik went to work, Sammy and I went to my cousin's 6th birthday party. I couldn't wait to show him off. Most of the family would be there and it was going to be fun. Sammy was a hit! We were there all afternoon and he was able to get tons of love, little samples of people food and all the outdoors he could want!
"look at me in this cool green stuff!"
"and these long brown things are so full of smells and tastes...wow!"
"A puppy could get used to this!"
"Mom, I'm getting kinda sleepy from all this action."
Over the first couple days of his arrival:
"This fox is soo much fun! It's my favorite!"
"I wouldn't walk over the edge, I promise."
Some of Sammy's firsts. He grew very fast. In the first week he gained 3 lbs. In the next two weeks, he gained another 8 lbs. The vets were shocked, but said it was mostly muscle, and muscle he should have already built up, but was unable to in the petstore. For quite some time, we were worried just how big he was going to get. They were worried he would exceed 35 lbs. after the second trip to the vet. He is right around 30 lbs. now at almost 10 months. His growing is now in getting longer more than anything.
Sammy's first peanut butter experience. "mmm mmm, more please"
my favorite picture of Sammy. He has that fine line of cute and mischeviousness on his face. And his little tounge is sticking out ever so slightly, while his head is cocked trying to understand!
Sammy's first bath.
Sammy's first vet visit.
Sammy making himself quite comfortable in his new home.
He loves this new toy deal!
Unfortunately, that story didn't quite hit happily ever after then. We brought him home on a Friday night, past business hours, so the apartment complex did not know we had him. The following Monday, I went into the office to pay our pet deposit and such. Apparently we were not allowed to have him. It was not a fun moment for me. I kinda lost it a little. I guess that on like page 9 of the addendums they stated that no dogs under 1 year of age were allowed there. Beyond that, they needed vet verification of that. Basically it was them or the dog. We chose Sammy, but that meant we now had to have an exit fee for that apartment and we needed to find a new place allowing puppies, that would let us in within a month (we had 30 days from that day), and that would be affordable for a new deposit, pet deposit and whatever else. We were very lucky to find a place within about 2 weeks, but it was very stressful until we did. It is very unfortunate that all our baby memories of Sammy are at our old apartment, where we never even unpacked, but it all has worked out. We have pictures of all the fun times, and this apartment is much better. We ran into more and more problems in our 33 days there, including break ins (like my car) and wiring issues. We have landed a first floor apartment where our patio opens up to grass and trees before the parking lot. Sammy has a little stake and rope out there so he can sit out there when it's warmer. We have good neighbors, with dogs also! We are back in our old neighborhood, so it's more comforable. We are next to 2 parks where we take Sammy. And we have had lots of puppy memories with him here, as well.
By the end of our 33 days at the apartment, he didn't even need the barriers anymore.
Sammy quickly got comfortable in his new digs:
"I like this new place. I think I could be right here everyday."
"Don't worry, I'm on duty. Nothing gets past me!"
"Now this is a bed!"
Now they lived happily ever after. Well, hopefully to gain a baby sister in a couple years....
