Sam became part of our family when he was 5 weeks old. He was a loyal companion/friend/family member for the next 11 years. He really thought he was a human and not a dog and so did we! He brought joy and laughter to our home that was only equaled when the grandbabies were born. He loved life and made our lives richer. I can never put into words all the good times we had with him. He was also there during sad times. He seemed to be able to sense when I opened my eyes at night and would come and lay his head on my knee and look at me with those big beautiful eyes.

He was so gentle and loving. He always thought everyone came to see him and he always gave them a kiss! He let the kids sit on him or whatever they wanted and never once did he make even the smallest disapproving sound. He loved life, people and water. In his younger years, he liked mud, too (not sure if it was so much the mud as much as he knew he was gonna get to play in the bathtub!)

In April of this year, we found out he had cancer and even though he was sick and he had absolutely no energy, he was still right there by our sides. One of the saddest days of my life was the day we lost Sam. Our home will never be the same and I thank God I was allowed to be his human Mom. The following poems put into words exactly how I feel:


Paw Prints Left by You

You no longer greet me,
As I walk through the door.
You're not there to make me smile,
To make me laugh any more.
Life seems quiet without you,
You were far more than a pet.
You were a family member, a friend,
A loving soul I'll never forget.
It will take time to heal-
For the silence to go away.
I still listen for you,
And miss you every day.
You were such a great companion,
Constant, loyal and true.
My heart will always wear,
The pawprints left by you.


GOD KNEW

God knew that you were suffering.
That the hills were hard to climb
So He gently closed your eyelids
And whispered "Peace be thine."
In tears we watched you sinking
We watched you fade away
Our hearts were surely broken
You fought so hard to stay

But when we saw you sleeping
So peaceful, free from pain
We could not wish you back
To suffer that again
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you did not go alone
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.

-----Author Unknown

"I have done mostly what men do,
And pushed it out of my mind;
But I can't forget, if I wanted to,
Four-Feet trotting behind.

Day after day, the whole day through--
Wherever my road inclined--
Four-Feet said, 'I am coming with you!'
And trotted along behind.

Now I must go by some other round--
Which I shall never find--
Some where that does not carry the sound
Of Four-Feet trotting behind."

--- Rudyard Kipling --


You know I was very tired
so God decided today
to call me back to heaven
where all the other dogs play.

But for those of you who knew me
I was really not a dog
just one of God's special angels
sent to help you know of love.

So bless all of you who touched my life
in some way or another
I will send down special love to you
from my chair up here in heaven.

And now we lay you down to sleep
You're finally at rest
Our love for you we'll always keep
You were the very best
You gave us joy for all those years
A memory for each new day
Then came the day of all my fears
The day you passed away
A part of us you took with you
And I can't stand the pain
But when this life on earth is through
I know we'll meet again.

Unknown author