"It does not always turn out this way"

Yesterday, we took our dog Samson to our veterinarian, Dr. Rick. Samson needed to have few inoculations updated for him to be able to enjoy doggie day care at Whiskers Pet Resort. We had an appointment with Dr. Rick at 5:25PM, which worked out perfectly for us. I worked a little late, while Dee was able to get home, let Samson out to play a little, then pack him in the car and take him to Dr. Rick's office.



I arrived a few minutes before Deirdre did and I was able to catch up with our favorite vet tech Jen, as well as Dr. Rick. A few minutes after I arrived, Deirdre showed up with his handsomeness and we were escorted to a treatment room where Jen was able to check Samson's vitals and prepare the inoculations for him. A few minutes later, Dr. Rick came into the room where we told him how well Samson was doing, and that he was a well adjusted 2 1/2 year old German Shepherd Dog.

Samson needed a heartworm test, which required a blood draw, which can always be a challenge. However, Samson took the blood draw in stride, as Deirdre was bribing him with puppy treats as I held his collar and Dr. Rick and Jen drew a small sample of his blood. Following the blood draw, Dr. Rick gave Samson a wellness exam and declared him fit as a fiddle. Following the exam, Dr. Rick then proceeded to give Samson 4 inoculations, which barely fazed our pooch. Following the inoculations, we were able to talk a little about how far Samson had progressed since we brought him home.

We adopted Samson from a shelter in November, 2007. He had been abandoned by his first family, dumped in a park north of Grand Rapids, living on the streets for a while before he was picked up by Kent County Animal Control. Samson ended up in a shelter, alone and afraid. He spent a few weeks there, living in a cement kennel, waiting for somebody to adopt him. Along came me and Deirdre.

To remind readers of this blog, in late 2007, my life had undergone some tremendous changes. In a span of just a few months, I underwent three of the top four stressors in life: I retired from the Navy (left a job), moved back to Michigan (moving) and had to put our beloved Allie to sleep a week after I moved back to Michigan (loss of a loved one). All I needed was a divorce and I would have hit the four greatest stressors in life! Then along came Samson. He was a little rough along the edges, but at his core, he was a good dog. The first few weeks were a challenge. Samson was fearful, a little food aggressive, and tried to be the dominate member of our little pack. Thankfully, I had the time to work on these issues and in a few short months, Samson was a well adjusted, though thoroughly energetic puppy.

As part of our first few weeks together, I took Samson to the aforementioned Dr. Rick and Jen for a wellness check, as well as some inoculations. Dr. Rick and Jen took great care of Allie for the last half of her life, so they were the only people we would trust with Samson. The first time I took Samson in for a check up and a few shots, he was pretty much all over the place. Samson had been with us for 10 days and he was darn near feral. It was a bit of a struggle for Dr. Rick to examine Samson, though the inoculations went without incident. A few months went by and I had to take Samson back for a booster inoculation, and by then Samson was a well adjusted, lovable dog, who only wanted to please his master. Following a few shots and another wellness check, Samson was good to go for a year. Before I left, Dr. Rick said to me, "It does not always turn out this way. Sometimes, rescue dogs never recover from their ordeal. They become and remain aggressive and never trust a person again. You and Deirdre have done great things with Samson."


I think that Samson has found his way with us. He is a good dog.