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sam's tale
by cheryl bean
We have a summer home in Largent West Virginia. Our kids and pets absolutely love it out there. Sam our samoyed especially loved to wander the mountains or walk the roads with whoever was going for a walk. We got him when he was one from the pound. He was my kids "furry nanny". If they were on the front porch, he was there!
No strangers got close to the house. If they did come up the drive, he led them. His mouth gently on their hand as a reminder. This is my home! Once the terminex man came up to sell us lawn care. He peed on his boot. It was okay he was a dog man! We thought it was funny because my huby worked for the company that owned terminex. When police sirens would go by, Sam would howl along with them. I think i'll miss that the most. He ate whatever his people were having, His favorite was ice cream from Jimmy Cone in Damascus. The hardest thing about this weekend past is the WHYS! Sam went out walking as he has done for years. He loved to go to the neighbors house where all the kids play. The kids loved him. Saturday, one of my next door neighbor's dogs got out. My neighbor apparently became very enraged and chased his dog down the road with his pickup. Our speed limit is posted at 15. My husband and I saw the truck three times go up and down the road at no less than 60. We also saw a person walking in the road jump up on our hill to get out of the way of the truck. We have deep ruts in our bank where this neighbor's truck left the road. I had no idea how tragic this day would become until I saw three of my children's friends run down our drive crying. They told me my neighbor had run over my dog and had left him lying. My husband and I immediately went to the children's house. There was Sam leaning up against one of the homes. He couldn't walk and was crying. The children who saw the incident said my neighbor had been yelling at the older couple Sam was walking with because they asked him to slow down. My neighbor went to the end of the road, got his dog into the truck and came back yelling and screaming and literally frightening this elderly couple. They were afraid they said of being shot at. Then in a rage he took off and ran over my dog with both wheels. Sam is nine and had no time to move. He weighs ninety two pounds. This same neighbor said he had no idea he had hit Sam. What do you think. I believe the eight children who had the unfortunate
timing to witness this horrible event. Although Sam was hit and suffered for this irresponsible and irrational act vehicular slaughter
We are thankful that none of the children were hurt. If you are angry because your dog dosen't listen and runs, that is no reason to go yell at neighbors, force them off the road, and endanger people and neighbor's pets. You have a anger problem that needs professional help. This neighbor came to where my husband, myself and a neighbor were trying to load Sam into the back of my car to transport him into Berkely Springs some twenty miles away. He said he never knew he had hit Sam. I find that hard to believe! You hit a ninety two pound dog, its not a squirrel but a huge animal and WHITE! You can't feel some thing...PLEAZZZZE!!!! You hit the curb 4 inches off the ground and you feel it. No remorse either. As a nurse I can pick up on that quickly. I said nothing but You hit my dog, now get out of my car. Nobody else said a thing to him. I transported Sam to the vet and then to Winchester VA to the Valley Emergency Vet Clinic. The doctors and tech were super. Sam had no broken long bones but he was twisted and tumbled, had a spinal fx & pnemothorax. He looked better the next day and we took him back to Largent. He laid out under the trees and the kids came to visit. My neighbor had left Saturday and never came once the rest of the weekend. His wife came over Monday to see how Sam was. She was given the watered down version. She said there are always three sides of the story. Well baby you need the correct first one, I gave you the second and you can get the third from the many neighbors. One neighbor even said to me and I quote. Can you believe that man is getting baptised on Sunday, now ain't that some sh....! Sam came home on Monday. He rode in the truck like he loves to do. He laid in the living room, had room service for two days and got several favorites. I even found the five year old lying next to him. But mom could see the subtle changes. On Tuesday he went to vet and we were hopeful. I came home Wednesday from a field trip with my daughter and knew hope was fading. Sam's spleem normally in his chest cavity was now down in the lower abdominal and protruding. He was in pain and now had hemiparesis bilaterally. We returned to our super vet Dr Hurry at Petsmart in Germantown, MD. He gave a requested no sugar coated diagnosis and gave Sam a last ditch effort at recovery. As a nurse I appreciated this. I had a little time to prepare for the worse and cry and mourn and laugh and remember. Today we got the news he was no better and in more pain. I have known my farm born husband for twenty years and saw him cry for the first time today. We held sam and talked to him through the entire visit. We helped him travel across the rainbow bridge. We will return him to his beloved mountains soon and plan a monument to remind people that speeding on a small gravel & dirt road not only endangers people but can kill as well. Just ask my children who want to know one answer to one question..why did you drive so fast and kill our dog? My neighbor's wife said the neighbor put his dogs "in jail" (their cages because they were "bad". They were bad?? What were you? Well dear old neighbor I now have an empty dog house, three very upset children, a heart broken husband and I'm still sitting here writing this as I cry again. You offered nothing to this family. Sam was worth a million of you!!!
Comments would be appreciated by the
author, cheryl bea
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