Sammy was my buddy. He was like a younger brother to me. My parents and I adopted him when I was 4yrs. Up until March of 2006, he was the most loving dog. I do not remember much of when I was a young kid but I do remember the day we adopted him from our local SPCA shelter. I had been begging my parents for a dog and when they agreed, they were hoping to find a small dog to fit into our small house.

My dad had a friend at the shelter and she called when they received Sammy. We went in and he was in a cage that was next to a Golden Retriever. He was hiding in the back of the cage – very nervous – and was not barking at all. I pointed to him and I named him Sammy. He was such a joy and was always there for me and my parents as well. He taught me responsibility. When I would cry, he would come over and kiss me. When someone in the house was sick, he would be with them making sure they were feeling better.

In his later years, he went through a lot – getting a tooth pulled and an ultrasound done. We, in turn, were there for him. I remember when we discovered he had some kidney problems. He had to get an ultrasound done and he was shaking so hard because he was so nervous. I kneeled down to his face level and was just petting him on his forehead and talking to him.

The day that was the saddest was when my parents and I took him to the vet to put him down. He was 16yrs old and was in so much pain and was just so weak. He was always a fighter and when he was injected, he gave out one last cry. This was the first time I saw my dad cry. We all hugged each other as the vet took him in the back to close his eyes. He brought him back so we could say our final goodbyes. We didn’t think after that moment we could get another dog, but in March of 2007, we adopted a brother and sister chihuahua mix – Nellie and Zoro. They have brought back the joy we had with Sammy and we will never forget him.

Kristin from NY