It saddens me that one of the first posts on here is going to be about the death of our family dog, Samson, but it just happened yesterday, and we're all struggling with it.
Although we only enjoyed the company of Sam for the last three of his ten years of life, he was most certainly a loved member of the family. He was great with the kids, fairly well-behaved (I'll get to that in a moment), and was a faithful companion.
I spent most of my growing-up years wanting a dog, but never had one until a few years ago. My mom wasn't much of an animal person, so the closest I ever came in childhood was the never-ending parade of goldfish that rarely stayed around very long. In 2003 Charlene brought Sam into our home for a "trial stay". At the time, it was against my better judgment, primarily because I knew this day would come, and I never wanted to face it, let alone put my kids through it. I made up a bunch of stupid reasons that didn't hold water, but that was the reality. But, the trial stay turned into a permanent stay, and Sam quickly became a beloved member of our household (sometimes I think he ran it!)
The biggest problem we had with Samson is that he had this stupid habit of getting into the household trash cans. (We always said he was a dog of little brain.) If there was ANY possibility that he might find a snack in there, he was going to check it out. It got to the point where, if we left him alone in the house for a few hours, all of the bathroom doors had to be closed to keep him out, and my trash can in my office had to be placed on top of my desk where he wouldn't be tempted. Outside of that, along with the seemingly unlimited supply of black fur EVERYWHERE in the house, he was a joy to have around.
We're not 100% sure what happened or how it happened, but Sam contracted some type of food poisoning, possibly botulism, within the last few days, and the symptoms hit him hard overnight Sunday. I'll spare everyone the details, but it was a messy, sleepless night, and what we initially thought was just some type of stomach flu or virus turned out to be much worse. Over the course of only 12 hours, the disease started affecting his nervous system, causing him to shake and twitch, and made it difficult for him to ascend the steps, or even lie down comfortably. No one knows if and what animals think, but everytime he looked at me yesterday, I felt he was trying to say, "please do something to make me feel better." After consulting a local veterinary hospital, and after hours of painful deliberation, we made the decision to have Sam put to sleep yesterday. No question, it was one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make in my life. I knew how Charlene and kids would take it....heck, I knew how I would take it. Turns out I was wrong...I took it (and still am taking it) a lot worse. But, as I keep reminding the kids, his sickness and pain are gone, and he doesn't have to suffer anymore as he was yesterday.
No one knows for sure if there are any animals in heaven. I've always believed that they don't have souls, and therefore when they die, that's just the end. But, there's no way to know for sure. What I DO know is that if there are, Samson's among them.
Samson, you were a faithful companion and friend. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you. Rest in peace, buddy. You will be missed.
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