Rescuing Sam

Here’s what you need to know about this picture:

- Sammy is a 15-year-old lab that acts like she’s a puppy despite suffering coon dog paralysis 8 years ago, which has left her with some wobbly back legs.

- For some reason and somehow Sammy managed to walk from my parents woods a half-mile across a muddy field.

- She got stuck in the mud.

- She’s lucky that I spotted her.

- She’s lucky to be alive. After all she has been through she deserves a peaceful exit, not one involving freezing to death in a muddy field.

- When I got to her I stepped out of both of my shoes. As Dad put it, “That kind of mud could kill a man.”

- Mom tried to walk across the field. She called me on my cell and told me that she was stuck. At the time I didn’t care, I was more worried about Sammy who was starting to panic. Now, I wish I would have at least seen mom. She eventually got unstuck, but fell down three times. That would have been hilarious to see.

- When I pulled Sam from the mud pit her struggling had created, I didn’t know what to do. We were surrounded by muddy fields in every direction. I couldn’t carry her and her back legs wouldn’t work in the mud. So, I did the only thing I could do: I called dad.

- Dad came to the rescue pulling a circa 1950’s red, rusted radio flyer wagon.

- Through mud and through snow, it took us 30 minutes to get Sam back to the house and into a warm bath.

- Shortly after this photo was taken, Sam had a racquetball in her mouth and wanted to play.

- Sam makes Marley look like a saint.

- Her legend continues.