Happy First Birthday, Sami-Girl!

Happy Birthday, Dear Sami, 

Happy Birthday to You!

Samantha Wise Gamgee may have been chosen by Chuck, but I love her, too. Chuck can't say enough good about his little black pup. 

Shortly after we adopted our puppies, Chuck started calling Sam the WGP. It used to drive me crazy that he called her that because he said it stood for the World's Greatest Puppy. I realize his calling her a pet name is no reflection on Bristol, but I admit I felt I had to give lots of extra loves to Bristol in case Bristol thought he was being slighted. Chuck took to whispering "You're the WGP" to Sam after awhile, but I still heard it. 

Photo Credit: Chuck Bennorth

Today is Sami's special day. She is chewing on a new bone at the moment, sprawled on the couch with Bristol. One fun little bit of trivia is that the dogs share birthdays with the matriarchs in my family. Sami and my Grandma were born on November 14, and Bristol and my Mom were born on December 2. It makes it very easy to remember their birthdays!

Sami is so long, and last month when we weighed her, she was about 64 pounds. She loves to stretch out on the floor, and when she does, she looks even longer. 

When we first met Sami, she seemed like she was such a natural at retrieving. When Chuck threw a ball, she brought it back to him, and then when I threw it, she brought it back to me. Chuck has wanted a little Labrador retriever for such a long time; he was finally going to have a dog that could fetch.

Once she was ours, and we brought her home, she never retrieved again. 

There is not a dog more affectionate than Sam. She loves to be petted much more than she loves to eat. As long as you stroke her fur, she will lean against you, and let you keep doing it. She does have an unsettling habit of growling while we love on her. Sometimes it seems similar to the purr of a contented cat, and sometimes it seems like a warning to Bristol to stay away, but she does a low growl while we hug her. 

Photo Credit: Chuck Bennorth

During the day, she is my constant companion, and she follows me wherever I go. And I mean, Wherever. I. Go.

Sometimes Chuck and I talk about what life would be like if we had only chosen one dog; which one would we have decided on, how much easier one dog would be, how differently the dog would behave not having a sibling...but it's hard for me to even consider. I love Bristol and Sami both so much now.

Photo Credit: Chuck Bennorth

Sam is bossy with Bristol, and likes to think she is the alpha dog. Poor Bristol doesn't have any fight in him, and lets her take his toys away from him, and is careful not to get on her bad side. Sami  loves to play with Bristol and will cuddle with him, but he knows he has to get her approval if he wants to chew on a bone, or she will take it away. 

Sami has been tough to walk on a leash. She has boundless energy, and a crazy fascination for every single thing in her environment. My arm gets such a workout when we go for walks because she pulls so hard. We switched to a front clip harness, but it didn't make much difference; she still pulls. The Gentle Leader head collar keeps her under control, but she seems so miserable with it, we've decided to keep working with her using her harness. 

Sami really is so sweet. She is calmer than Bristol when company comes to visit. It is like she knows if she sits down by someone, they will be obligated to pet her. Between her loving personality and her shiny, soft fur, she gets lots of love and attention from anyone she meets. 

We are lucky Sami joined our family. We love our little Sami so much.