A week ago Saturday, I brought a new Corgi into our lives. After Nora passed away, I was completely devastated. On top of being heartbroken, I felt so lonely. I had grown so accustomed to hearing tags on a collar, feeling a wet nose graze my hand, and always having a furry face to smile at. I found Sammy in a roundabout way. I had found a Corgi on Petfinder that was located relatively local to me. He sounded like a sweetheart so I contacted the rescue that was coordinating his adoption. Another family had already decided to take him in, so I thought I would put my search on hold for awhile. Within the week, the woman who runs the rescue, Arleen Rooney of St. Anthony's Canine Rescue, contacted me to let me know that a 5 year-old tricolor male had been turned into a shelter near her and she would be bailing him out the next day. She asked if I would be interested and at first I said no as I didn't think I would be able to make the drive down soon enough as it is a good 8 hour drive. Then I received more pictures and my heart melted. I just had to say yes to the Corgi named Sammy.

I was able to switch around a few days at work so that I could have a long weekend. My husband had to work all day that Friday, so my lovely mom made the trip with me. We drove down on Friday the 22nd, stayed the night at a hotel, and met Sammy and Arleen at the local Petsmart the next morning. It was love at first sight. Sammy is very handsome and is a total lovebug. After filling out adoption paperwork, walking around the store, and having a nice visit with Arleen, we set out for the long drive back home with Sammy crated in my wagon. He was so quiet the whole trip. We stopped every few hours to let him pee, but no such luck. He seemed more worried with each stop and I was happy to see that he relaxed quite a bit once we got home in the early evening.

I wasn't sure what to expect once we got Sammy home. Somone must have cared for him at some point. He is neutered, loves to be brushed, and knows basic obedience commands. On the other hand, he has a tear in his ear, is missing his bottom right canine, and had a bad case of dermatitis from fleas. How well house trained was he? Would he be okay with our cat? Would he be okay with my husband? Would he be happy with us? He has far exceeded my expectations. He is completely housetrained. After an initial reluctance to go pee, he now happily pees and poops while out on our walks. He was terrified of the cat at first, which was sad because our cat loved Nora so much and kept trying to cuddle up against Sammy like he would with her. Sammy was having none of it and would eaither hide behind me or run into the other room. I didn't push it as I thought that they would figure it out eventually, especially since the cat does not have an aggressive bone in his body. I am happy to say that although still a bit reluctant, Sammy now lets the cat walk up to him and I have seen him a number of times run his nose through the cat's fur.

He was a little bit suspicious of my husband at first, but now he seems almost as attached to him as he is to me. He is unfortunately really scared of men with baseball hats on. Two friend's husbands have met him over the last week. They are both soft spoken and dog lovers too, but Sammy started shaking and trembling all over. I give him credit for not running off across the house. He sat next to me in the living room as I visited with my friends, eyeing them suspiciously. As hard as it was to not comfort him, I didn't want to encourage his fear. I gave him pets and love and a couple of upbeat, "Good boy Sammy!" when he started to relax and not seem so fearful. It wasn't a 100% success, but it's only been a week and who knows what the poor little guy went through in his young life. I think he is beginning to trust that we're not going anywhere and neither is he. He was very clingy for most of our first week and while he still follows me everywhere, he is letting himself fall asleep across the room instead of trying to on my lap. He knows his bed and his crate. He seems more calm when I leave and return.

Sammy is my ray of sunshine. He came into my life when I needed him the most and perhaps when he needed me too. I look forward to the day where he feels comfortable enough to play and his personality really lets itself shine. Over the last few days he has let a few of his quirks out and in true Corgi fashion, they made me laugh. I only wish that he and Nora could have met. I think they would have become good friends. I have all the patience in the world. Welcome home Sammy!