I Have a Shadow

I have a shadow. You may have met him already or even noticed his picture above. His name is Sam and he’s our lab/boxer mix puppy. He doesn’t leave my side. I walk room to room and he’s right behind me. I sit and he’s at my feet or his head is resting on my lap. He literally follows me “like a puppy dog”. It’s been a hard road the last couple months with him though. We’ve had countless conversations about the time involved taking care of him, the cost of taking care of him, splitting up the duties to care for him and the everything in between. There have also been some discussions about getting rid of him. Some days he was just TOO MUCH to handle along with the kids, our schedules and everyday life.

The other day was the last straw. The kids weren’t helping, the dog wasn’t listening and I had enough. We told the kids that he was leaving; we had found a family that was going to give him a good home. They were bummed and said they would help. The next morning I was doing the dishes and Shae was bringing her dishes over; I asked her to hand me her plate she said, “No I’ll do it myself”. She proceeded to put it in the dishwasher then said, “I helped you mom, can we keep Sam now”. My heart broke. Shae wakes up each morning and greats Sam with a face rub and a, “my little buddy”.

Sam has some separation anxiety we have to deal with and some puppy behaviors that hopefully he’ll outgrow but the decision has been made. We love him, he loves us and he’s part of the family, for good.