Samantha the blind dog
Samantha belonged to a long-haul truck driver named Kathy. As the years went by, Samantha grew weary of the trucker's life. She finally got to the point where she refused to get in the truck after a rare visit home, and Kathy had to pick Samantha up and put her in the cab.
Kathy said, "Sam was good protection and good company on the road, but it was a prison for her, too."
After Samantha lost her vision, Kathy thought it was no longer safe or feasible to take her newly blind dog with her. She tried to find a different kind of job so she could stay home, but had no luck. She finally took another truck driver position in a different state, but this time she ended up with a company that didn't allow dogs on their trucks.
Before leaving, she gave Samantha to family members and asked them to take care of her for 6 weeks until she could make other arrangements. The family members had two small children and a dog who didn't get along with Samantha. Within days Samantha was at the local shelter.
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The shelter asked if we could take an elderly, blind dog. Once Samantha arrived at the ranch, the first thing we noticed was just how cheerful this girl was. She wagged her tail and followed us everywhere with a big smile on her gray face. We called her "Smilin' Sam." Her eyes are bright and clear, and you'd never know from looking at her that she can't see a thing.
A couple of months after Samantha came, we received a letter in the mail, along with a $50 money order. It was from Kathy, and she had learned what happened to Samantha. She saw our blog post about Samantha's arrival, and wrote: "It is good to see her and know she is well and being cared for by loving people. The pictures made me cry twice."
She promised to continue donating for Samantha's care, and every month since then, another $50 money order arrives in the mail.
Samantha is a sweetheart of a dog, and these days she loves spending her days outside, exploring our yards. She's so happy to be at the Rolling Dog and not, shall we say, rolling down the highway.
Posted May 2009.
