Sam

The first time I saw Sam, he was sitting patiently in the hallway while a kennel was being cleaned up for him. I could tell right away that he was a freindly guy, and smart as well. He's waiting for his adoptable date right now (June 10th), and it can't come soon enough - the little gent has gone from excited to terrified, and is now acting a bit shy and depressed. In his circumstances, it's pretty forgivable.

Sam is curious and outgoing toward other animals, but has a major social handicap: his ears, or more precisely, lack thereof. A lot of people have their dogs' ears cropped, for various reasons. Many of them just want their dog "to look tough," which is a real shame in my opinion. And they don't take into consideration that a canine's ears are a major tool in communication with other dogs - the more they take off, the less they can express. Without cues from the ears, it becomes much more difficult to tell aggression from fear or submissiveness. Basically, it's like trying to communicate with someone who can't make facial expressions. Sam, sadly, has had his ears not so much cropped as removed. It probably caused him considerable pain and discomfort at the time, but now it's mostly just confusion as to why no one seems to understand him anymore. Even Remo didn't trust him at first, and it broke my heart when my pal tried to warn off the "mean stranger dog" walking with me.

Fortunately, Remo seemed a lot more relaxed with Sam around today, having had a night to talk things out. Although they're not the first things entering a conversation, Sam still has a wagging tail and a sappy, affectionate grin. What he really needs now is someone who will take the time to get to know him, and teach him to take his time when he meets others, too. Of course, they'll need to be able to withstand massive amounts of affection, as well - Sam's got a lot of it to share.

UPDATE: Sam and I went for a walk today, and spent a grand time just hanging out with some of the other folks helping at the shelter. The gate to the exercise yard suffered a broken hinge sometime yesterday, so instead of running amok we went inside and offered some encouragement to young Minerva (who will hopefully be picked up by a rescue group tomorrow). A short time later, Sam was put to sleep. He went out knowing that he had friends, and that he was well-loved.