"As time goes by"

Thinking of Angels

By the time my family joined Dogster, I'd been at the Bridge more than one year ... we looked for other Labradors to be my friends ... Labbie Daisy came to Rainbow Bridge four months before I became an angel. And Riley Marie crossed three days after me. And we found Nakai and Remy who came to the Bridge later in 2006.

~~ We started a remembrance in Bogart's diary, and now we remember & celebrate friends who became angels during the first half of 2008:

Iggy Grey Eagle ~~~ Gracie Jane ~~~ Arthur furever wiggling
Cpl Cledus K-Bar ~~~ Socks ~~~ Samuel Jacob
Baloo ~~~ Terri the Terror ~~~ Lucy Kitty
Snowbabie ~~~ BEEZER ~~~ RemoTheRed .
Each one beloved ... missed by their families~

It's a blessing for us to share photos & stories with all our friends. Sharing our joys and our losses has enriched our lives~ xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

... our long list of angels will be continued ...

They sold the Jeep ...

See, I told them so! I told my family that I am always right there with them, even though I had to come to Rainbow bridge ... .
When I was about 5 years old, my family got a Jeep. O boy, I had fun riding in the Jeep, to the park and lots of fun places with my family! I could see out the windows even when I stayed sitting down (that's safer than standing in a moving vehicle). And it was no big deal that I got hair or dirt in the Jeep!

Well, they sold the Jeep lost month. ... But guess what? When they cleaned the interior, my family found a ton of my yellow HAIR ... hiding between the back seat and cargo area ... . Very sad remembrance for them ... but I was right there to turn those tears into smiles.

Now they drive a MINI Clubman and the seats are the same color as pup Rick. And in the future, it will be so much easier for Rick to get in & out of a MINI ... because I taught my family that us older, large-breed dogs can hurt our backends when trying to get into tall vehicles.

Fuvever home anniversary

See my new picture? My pal Daisy created this picture of me at the park just like the fall day in September, 1992, when I found my furever family.

This may seem like no big deal to yall young, digital-age pups~ people taking your picture every time you turn around ... no film to be developed ... instant results that you easily save to your computer file ... Let me tell yall, photography was a whole different world in 1992!!!

My family spent the last month searching through "old" photograph albums & negatives ... just looking for pictures of me, and Bogart, too ... In my puppy days, my family had a nice 35 mm film camera, that someone had trouble figuring out how to use-BOL! And then the lens broke ... So there are fewer than 20 pictures of me for all the years from my furever-home day 'til I was about 7 years old. And I was 10 years old by the time our family got a digital camera ...

Thank goodness for digital scanners! My family added several new old pictures to my page-YEA!

{hey pup Rick, you got a hundred pictures! and you haven't been in the family one year yet-BOL} ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everypup: be sure to visit the Tribute to 9/11 Rescue Dogs, as posted in today's Dogster Dog Blog at http://dogblog.dogster.com/2008/09/11/tribute-to-911-rescue- dogs/ OR here's the original dogs in the news website from 2001.

The first of June

I was born in 1992, not sure the day, but my forever family chose June 1st as my birth day. I stayed with my family until I was almost 14 "human" years old, that's close to 90 dog years.

This year, alot of pals helped me celebrate my birthday at the Rainbow Bridge! My goodness, I've been eating ice cream & cake nonstop for a week-BOL!!! And I can't believe how many gifts, good wishes, pictures, and paw mails I've received!!!
I tried to send individual thank-you's to my gift-givers but my typist keeps disappearing ... we have extended-family caregiving issues these days ... so I'm taking a shortcut, if yall don't mind.

THANK-YOU to Sadie Mae, Tiffany, Daisy & her pack, Winchester, Ramona, Putter, Kodi, Remy, Beary, Kayla, & Ollie, RILEY, Cisco Kid, Angel Kiska, KJ, Rain, Angel Banjo, & Angel Greta, Annie, TedEbear, Corky, Nikki, Jessica & Nakai, Bear & Bambi, Daisy, Lickity, & Baloo, Darius, Yoda, & Kea, and Phoebe Dumas (... sure hope we didn't miss anypup) ~ THANKS YALL! and here's something for everyone~
ice cream

Two Years and Eight Days

have passed since I came to the Rainbow Bridge. My family wrote this remembrance letter to me~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

D earest Angel Sam,
You are the Best Friend ever, our once-in-a-lifetime dog! We miss you so much and your spirit is forever in our hearts.
We never called ourselves your mom and dad because you are not a child. You were and are our Best Friend.

Remember the day you found us? We had ice cream cones and went to the park. You were looking for a home and ran up behind us and poked your nose on us. We think of you every time we have ice cream. Remember how active you were as a little pup? When you were getting housetrained, you were alone in the backyard while we went to work. So you chewed up the bottom of the siding all across the back of our house. Do you remember 'eating the house' ? That's one of our best stories!

We loved to go for walks and play in the park. You had fun just sniffing everything! Remember the time I tried to walk you and our first bulldog, together? O my! He was old & slow, you were still a pup, and I fell in the street and chipped a tooth. And remember how you ate so quickly, like inhaling your kibble? That old bulldog was growling and wanted your food, so we soon learned to feed you separately.

Sweet Sam, sometimes as a pup you would just get crazy! I remember whenever we played a George Strait CD, then you would settle down, as if you were listening to George sing. His songs are a constant reminder of you ...

Remember when we moved from Texas to Michigan? You were about 7 years old. The long car ride was o.k. except when we got stuck in traffic. Near the TX-Arkansas line, traffic on I-30 was stopped for security because President Clinton was flying into his old home. You got upset because our car wasn't moving, for an hour! Well that's just one of life's events that we got through together ... you could always put a smile on our faces!

Sometime in there, your backend wasn't working right ... Do you remember, maybe you began feeling old? We would be walking or playing, you were about 10 years old then, and sometimes your back legs just could not hold up. When we moved back to Texas, you handled that stress with a few ups & downs. When you were about 12 years old, it snowed on Valentines Day and you RAN around catching snowflakes on your tongue!

We all get older some day ... we are so blessed that, even with your lumbo-sacral disease, you were able to say with us until you were almost 14. Sweetie, much better than these specific memories is simply that you were always there, beside us. ... Words are no good to express how you became part of our hearts & souls.
We will always love you and miss you ~ M and S
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, my family wrote this letter on Valentines Day, 2008. Somehow the pup Rick makes it difficult for the family to get stuff done ... but that's o.k.! I am watching out for all of them ~
Labbie hugs&kisses, Sam

Thanksgiving Tag!

Thank you to my pal Mica-the wonderpup #504880.

The rules of Thanksgiving Tag: Each player needs to tell 7 special things for which he/she is thankful. Tagged dogs must post the rules in their diary and their 7 things. Then choose 7 pups to tag and list their names. Let them know by pawmail or rosette that they have been tagged and to read your diary for the instructions on how to play.

I am thankful:
1) for my furever family. They will always love me!
2) that I lived a good life for almost 14 years.
3) for each walk -- around the neighborhood, to the park, along the lakeshore -- too many scents to sniff, so little time!
4) that I had a nice, warm bed and good food & water.
5) for all the TLC and good veterinary care.
6) that mom & dad said I am the sweetest pup ever!
7) that my pawrents understood when it was my time to go to the Rainbow Bridge ... .

{My typist is late, I am not going to Thanksgiving-tag other pups.
~ with apologies & Labbie hugs, Sam}

September 11, 1992

I found my furever family on 9/11 ~ My pawrents remember it as the Friday after Labor Day, 1992. They say that I became their once-in-a-lifetime 'best-est' friend. And we were together for 13 1/2 years.

I've been at Rainbow Bridge awhile now. I really miss my family, but I have met many wonderful Angel-critters. I recently told mom, because the date 9/11 is special not just as my furever-family-day but also historically for the U.S., that we can remember & honor the canine heroes.

9/11 Hero Dogs
and
Military Handlers and Dogs

Thanks for reading my diary~ wags&kisses, SAM