Our First Dog Sam

 

The Peoples Dispensary for sick animals (PDSA) carried out a report in 2021 and states: 

Our 2021 PAW report found that 87% of owners agree that having a pet makes them mentally healthier.
Pets give us something positive to focus our mind and energy on. The responsibility of caring for a pet can provide a clear, positive focus, even when life may seem bleak.
And of course our pets help us feel less lonely and vulnerable, especially for owners whose pet is their only family and companion. You’ll never be lonely again with a cat; they love to wake you in the night when they decide they’re bored, or hungry!
Our pets are also great for helping us to meet new people. Walking with a dog can lead to chats with strangers, and talking to a fellow cat lover gives you an easy conversation starter. For the more socially inclined, there are multiple groups to join like training classes and dog walking groups. These all give you the chance to meet like-minded individuals and help to motivate you.

We got our first dog a few months after we married in 1984 and moved to Truro.  He was a border collie called Sam. (see above photo). We were living in married Drs accommodation in the Treliske hospital grounds and although not written down in any lease, it wasn't the general rule to have  pets in the flat.  This did not deter us and when we saw an advert for collie puppies in the local paper we paid the owner a visit.  There they were, half a dozen bundles of fur jumping around coming to greet us and one pup sat at the back of the pen seemingly disinterested.  "That's the one we want", said Martin pointing to the disinterested puppy.  "The runt!"  Sam lived his life accordingly, demanded excessive walks, and saw us have three children.  He lived to ripe old age of sixteen.  He was never what you call a 'friendly' dog, he was loud and jumpy but he never bit anyone, unless you count the accidental bite when he bit our friend David Holderness on the bottom when he threw him stick.  

His misdemeanours were numerous, he often chewed the furniture including a mattress, which I had to sew up.  He managed to lock himself in the bathroom one day when we were both at work in the hospital.  Our colleagues told us there was barking coming from our flat and when we investigated there was Sam behind the fully locked bathroom door.  You see, Sam was a very intelligent dog, he could fetch things and shut doors.  Unfortunately, he couldn't open them as he found out when he went for a drink in the toilet, yes, I know disgusting right?  The door must have closed on him and thinking he could open it he jumped up and knocked the locking bolt across.  Well, I'm afraid we had to barge the door down, it was the only way to get the poor dog out.

He loved bbq's and long walks.  He was also a mischievous thief, once we were at a bbq. We were all inside because it was raining and many of us were sat on the floor in the living room.  Sam was wandering around looking for titbits and happened to spy a guy deep in conversation sitting on the floor with a burger held in the air.  The guy was so deep in conversation and the burger was just there resting in his hand, while the burger owner wasn't looking Sam walked nonchalantly past and without breaking his stride and in one swipe of his head his jaws took a neat bite out of the unguarded burger, we watched all this in amazement. The guy hadn't noticed a thing and when his conversation was over he continued to eat his burger unaware he had shared it with Sam.

Since Sam died we have had a further three dogs and two cats, and several hamsters, or as Martin calls them, "posh cat food!"  Since our last dog Ralphie died in 2023 we are now petless for the first time ever.  The children have all flown the nest and have built nests of their own, we are enjoying the freedom for a while.  However, never say never again.  Maybe one day we'll get a goldfish to keep the old blood pressure down.