SAMMY, ONE AMAZING DOG!
Sammy is now 10 years old, born on July 10th . It all started at a puppy mill in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Amish country on August 27th 2005 by my brother Michael, making the dog now 64 years old. The ratio in case you don’t have a dog is 7:1 but 1:1 their first year to humans. Sammy is a fun loving Jack Russel Terrier, very smart and very strong. His breed is something special, one of the smartest of all and I have a true story to prove it. Jack Russel’s are small to medium sized dogs, on average 15 to 20 pounds and definitely a Terrier. They are a hunting breed with a long snout, speed and strength and what hunters love most about them – catching rabbits mostly.
Sammy is older now and weighs in at 26 pounds.
He runs like a bullet, made his own track in our backyard at a previous house which he enjoyed compared to the new house he has lived in the past five years. The first five years were perfect for him to grow and run and have fun. The rest of us, besides my mother were working at the time and two brothers in school. The first year my mother hated Sammy, despised him. She would ask all of us at the dinner table many times this question while in an angry tone. “Who would you guys prefer to live with, Sammy or me, make your choice”.
My brothers Chris, Michael, Anthony, Dad and I every time yelled out “Sammy”. She knew that she was not going to win so the question stopped. After that Sammy started to grow on her to become her most favorite in the family. He would chase the cats away constantly, but they would return because Chris fed them, always. I’ll get back to that later. Sammy learned English and Italian, some tricks and how to respond by making funny sounds which he picked up from Michelle who he fell in love with. In 2012 after our wedding with me at my parents he noticed me back everyday, but the weekends and this is when he became my personal Watchdog.
Now a watchdog is a trained as a puppy for the needy of all sorts or as Canine Cops. Sammy was already seven, much older but just as smart. Dad told him one thing and one thing only which changed him - “Sammy, stay here and watch Bruno”, and that was all it took. For fours years so far he has stayed by my side always, in his bed when I sat on the couch I dread so much, only rose when I did and swung my hand to give him the signal to come and run to the back door or stayed with me while I ate at the table. He knew when and if I fell, always stayed by the bathroom door to listen. When we walked, he knew where the stairs were around the house and made sure that he was by my side on my right to keep me safe as well and he turned his head around to make sure that I was still there with him.
He truly is an amazing dog! He loves birthdays and Christmas mostly because we allow him to open all of the presents and even look at what’s in the box to get his approval, from toys to shirts and ties, I kid you not. He is adorable when he smiles and you can just wonder what he is thinking. My little NY Ranger.
Most of the time that I look at him I know that even though they aren’t saying anything that he’s smarter then we are. Michelle always says herself “If he could only talk, I wonder what he’s thinking”. I just tell her that “I think if he could Michelle, it would be pretty creepy”. Michelle loves The Gremlin’s which is always what she’s referring too, the one that turns into a scientist in the Second movie. Would be funny, but that would mean all talking!
Any baby, child or dogs/cats, his breed is 100% safe. He loves any young creature, goes up to babies and stops in his tracks and puts his little wet nose onto them and turns away. Only my 2 year old cousin Nicholas has ever been knocked over, fallen and giggled along with every adult as well laughing because it was not intentional.
Sammy chases cats always as dogs do, but jumps right over the kittens aka his friends to chase the big angry ones that have the intention of hurting him. He barks and barks along with adults until you pet him, become his friend and he will remember you always and forever. But from chasing those 12 cats left and right, he ended up injuring his back legs/ knees (deteriorating joints) to where he was unable to bend them, forcing him to hop on his hind legs like a rabbit. Sammy spends most of his time in his bed away from even me, afraid and embarrassed of himself. He went to the vet twice who put him on pain killers and steroids because he was not eating a thing and losing weight, and it’s now October. He had lost a few big teeth on his right side in December 2014 and June 2015 and needed to have soft food only, not hard as the doctor ordered. I always gave him that kind and Michelle bought him many soft snacks, but then he stopped eating them as well. The steroids help for a bit but he refused to take pain killers unless he is tricked to, using cheese or fortune cookies. He stopped almost everything, would not follow me anymore as well as not walking up stairs, if he went out for his business, he would not come back in and had to be picked up. The 1inch stoop by the front door he refused as well, and has to be assisted.
On Sunday October 18, my brother Michael and his fiancé Despina got married and we needed him for pictures like at my wedding 4.5 years ago so he was called, not walking well but that somehow changed the next day. This can be possibly because we had 50 people in my parent’s house or more and the same amount the next day which is why I think Sammy decided to give it a shot and walk again. We all saw his legs walking like normal almost round and round. I was just worried of him getting stepped on accidentally. I was soo happy as was Michelle, many others outside of my immediate family did not know of his problems. I had Michelle with me almost the whole day to do what I wanted, to stand. It was a party and the seats were for a few people that needed to sit and eat so I stood and sat when the time was right and available.
Sammy is a one of a kind dog that will never be a replaceable nor would we want to. We plan on having him for as long as is possible! He keeps me company always and will forever. All dogs do go to heaven, this one will break my heart more then any pet ever has if I cannot see him smile in his bed everyday or napping next to me always wherever that may be or to see him waiting for me at the top of the steps or by the outside doors to keep me safe or hear him running with his dog tags on his color around his neck dangling.
FUN FACT ABOUT SAMMY:
For the past five years since the central vacuum system in the house was installedSammy became what my mother calls him -
"The Vacuum Cop/Police".
Now Sammy knows where all of the central system vents are and absolutely must be the one to show my mother from the first to the last when she takes out the hose. He oversees every crevice in the house which is not the funniest part of Sammy around the house from top to bottom. He runs to each of these central vacuum vents, but then races back to me because he is terrified like a baby of each vent and jumps on me.
I have to save his shaking little body all day and yet he jumps off of me right back to do it all over again. :)