Yesterday was Sam the barn dog's 8th birthday! (No fooling - he really was born on April Fool's Day.) We adopted Sam from Golden Gate Lab Rescue when he was about 18 months old. If you're looking for a lab, Golden Gate Lab Rescue is fantastic. Visit them at www.labrescue.org.
Sam, like all the residents of Stori Stables, has his quirks. Any sort of beeping makes him freeze and quiver in fear. We started a whole "beep protocol" - at the first beep, Sam wold get tightly wrapped in his "safety blanket" (just a soft blanket we designated) and helped to his "safe spot", which is his bed in Ella's room or onto his chair. Then he got hugged tightly and pet until he calmed down. Sam has greatly improved with this protocol. Now when there's a beep, he comes to find someone and does well with just some gentle reassurance.
Then, there's his epilepsy. The first seizure was absolutely terrifying. I seriously thought my beloved dog was going to die. I think I woke up both Evan and Ella by yelling at them, "Sam is having a seizure and is probably going to die!!" O.k., so, maybe that was not my finest parenting moment. Honestly, the seizures are still hard on us but, again, we made a protocol and that has helped. And, we have routines around his medications which means he never misses a dose. Routines that the entire family follows makes caring for animals so much easier.
Sam is definitely the most spoiled dog we've ever had. He has his own bed in the barn.
His bed gets put away in the tack room at night so it doesn't get damp with the overnight fog. Before we put it back out the next day for Sam, we sweep the area so there aren't any pokey sticks under his bed. Ridiculous, right?
After a long day outside, Sam comes in to relax on his own personal chair. No one dares to sit in the chair or leave anything in it.
If someone does accidently dump something on Sam's chair, he sits and stares at it until its removed, which usually doesn't take long. I know I said that I'm the "Person In Charge of Everything" here at Stori Stables, but lets face it . . . its really Sam.
For his birthday, Sam got a personalized pillow case. He loves his pillows and frequently uses them to rest his head.
Pretty cute, huh? I got them from Hunny B Market on Etsy.com (We got two so Sam will never be without a personalized pillowcase when I wash one. Spoiled dog, I know!)
And, as soon as he picks out what dog treats he wants Ella to make from the Snoopy Dog Treats Recipe book, she'll make those.
Happy Birthday, Sam!! We love you!!!!
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