November 28th, 1991-January 11th, 2008

Samson was born in Mountain City, TN on November 28, 1991 to a “Finnish Spitz” mom (subsequently believed to have been a Finnish Lapphund) and a mystery dad (conjectured to have been a Border Collie). Samson joined the Pace family on January 11, 1992, when he was discovered chewing on his brother’s ear in the back of a pick-up truck in the parking lot of Roses Discount Department Store in Boone, NC. Samson received his primary education under the tutelage of Laddie, the Pace family’s collie, and graduated cum gratia from the Watauga County Humane Society Dog Obedience Class in June, 1992.

Samson was a faithful companion and veteran traveler, who had his first successful hotel stay at the age of six months. He loved his leash and loved “going too,” whether for a drive across town or accompanying his people wherever their work responsibilities carried them. Samson made numerous cross-country drives with Dad Blake and Mom Lynn and enjoyed putting his paws in such varied bodies of water as the Yellowstone River, the Mississippi River, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean.

A highly intelligent and clever dog, Samson was a capable communicator, well able to express himself in prose bark and doggerel verse. Several of his songs became requested hits at the Flaming Pit Restaurant in Gaithersburg, MD, where he customarily greeted friends and fans during his after-show walks. He was also a featured guest on the “A.M. Mayhem” morning show on radio station WXIT-AM in Blowing Rock, NC during the late-1990s.

Samson was a brave protector at home and an intrepid explorer everywhere, always wanting to sniff out more information about his little doggie world and leaving his mark wherever he could appropriately do so. He loved to run fast (up to 20 miles per hour uphill), track bunnies and squirrels, and greet other dogs. From his early days as “Little Samson Puppyface” and “Little Bad Dog,” Samson mellowed with time and advanced gracefully in years with patience and without complaint. After a difficult doctor visit where an inoperable throat tumor was discovered to be obstructing his breathing, Samson passed peacefully in his sleep on January 11, 2008.

Samson will always be remembered with love and appreciation. We miss him greatly.

Blake from MD