Remembering.

My grandfather passed away this morning.

When I think about dogs, my mind has always gone immediately to my grandparents - they had dogs the entire time we were growing up...cocker spaniels, in fact. They had another dog when I was young named Sheba, but I don't remember what kind of dog she was.

When my grandmother passed away, my grandfather was so lonely. The summer after my first year of college, I lived with him, but I knew that would only be a temporary abatement to how terrible he was feeling. Shortly after the next school year started and I had moved out, my grandfather decided one day that he wanted a dog. So, that very day (hey, when his mind was made up, his mind was made up!), he looked in the paper and went and picked up Sam.

This is Sam (Picture courtesy of my cousin Nicki):


If there were a picture in the dictionary of the human-animal bond, it would be my grandfather and Sam. They talk about dogs finding their "person", how our animals actually pick us, and not the other way around, and these two were a perfect example. Sam NEVER left my grandfather's side for a minute until he went into the veteran's home. He came into my grandfather's life at a time where my grandfather was so in need of a companion, and Sam delivered, and then some.

There are so many things about my grandfather that I aspire to in my own daily life, and actively practicing unconditional love, every day, is the big one. My grandfather always showed so much unconditional love for his family, both human and animal alike. Sam was only too happy to give that right back to him, and so much more. I can only hope that we are growing that bond with Miles every day. If we are successful, then and only then will we be good pet parents.

Sam, you're such a good boy.