He is family, because we found him on a Sunday

Driving down the street that intersects with the road to our home, I caught a flash of white from the corner of my right eye. It was moving. No one was behind me, so I slowed down. 

Four gangly legs, a bullwhip tail, and a puppy’s face took shape as I slowed to a stop. Of course, my first thought was that a neighbor’s dog had escaped, and I wanted to do the neighborly thing and reconnect the pup with its family. The first sign that this theory was wrong, was his condition. You could count his ribs, and hip bones jutted out jarringly through thinned fur. He seemed to be starving. 

Yet he was trusting, and came up to me when I made the universal gesture of welcome to canines (squat position with one hand extended). I checked for a collar and there was none. I thought I’d check the houses nearby for clues, and started walking the 150 yards up the road to where two homes were. He followed. He also nuzzled my hand, exactly like Frodo does. Hmmm… The homes were gated with security panels, and no one was outside. I couldn’t imagine such opulent homes would host a starved mutt anyway. 

Nothing to it, but to take him somewhere safe. We walked back to the car. He followed close by. Nuzzling my hand on occasion. I have been known to elicit trust from dogs. Hard to know if his trust was because of me, or a plea for help. 

He let me hoist him into the car, but immediately protested his incarceration. He whined the whole way, as I drove to the nearest dog rescue. It was Sunday, of course, so they were closed. How different this story would have gone had I found him on a Saturday…

I called the rescue’s number and they said I could leave him in the night drop. A metal box. I could hear another dog inside crying pitifully. “Can’t do it”, I said to myself, and to my new friend. 

Instead, I drove him to Petco to scan for a chip. There was none. Let’s take him home, and work on finding his people. We put him in the Doggo Dojo at Rivendell, and gave him food. He devoured it. Poor boy was just famished. 

Family was coming over for dinner that night, so he had to spend some time alone. He did not appreciate that. We have come to find, being constrained is a particular hardship for this young boy. You have to wonder what traumas preceded our meeting.

We reached out through all the normal channels to see if anyone was seeking a lost pup. Nothing. Two people mentioned they saw him wandering near where I found him, even weeks ago. How long was he surviving out there? 

Our original plan was to get him to a very good animal rescue for re-homing. We have three dogs, and farm animals are our primary charge. Homeless dogs have many more options than pigs and goats. We had to take a hard look at our mission though. We are here to rescue those who have been forgotten. Those without hope. He found us. He is bonding with us. We decided to become the family he deserves. He will be Samwise Gamgee, son of Hamfast…. junior protector of the realm.

We have since treated him for ticks and fleas, got him his first round of shots, and he is scheduled to see our excellent dog vet next week. We will get him fixed shortly thereafter. 

He has bonded deeply with both Frodo and Leonard. Samwise has actually turned Leonard into an outdoor dog, they so enjoy time on the sanctuary grounds together. Freya is in convalescence after her ACL surgery, so she is basically out of the picture.  Getting them acquainted, after she heals, will be a complex negotiation not unlike reconciling Russia and Ukraine.  

In the meantime, Sam has been showing more of his nature. Endlessly joyful and playful, he is just a fountain of energy. He does have severe abandonment issues, and we’ve had to fortify the front gate to prevent his escape whenever I leave the property. He is an adept hunter, which can spell trouble for the chickens. We have had to also up-armor their run. But to see Frodo Sam and Leonard play together, to come home to his exuberant greetings, to see his fearless contentment sun bathing next to his new best friends - it gives such color to our mission. We found an animal that was abandoned, rejected, and in need, and we gave him a home. He responded, by expressing every single day, why he deserves one.