The very sad end to a loving dog.
Way back before I came into Jean’s life, or perhaps I should expand on that by saying way before Pharaoh and I came into the life of Jean, her 12 dogs and 6 cats, Jean had come across a feral litter of pups.
This was in 1998 when Jean was living with her husband, Ben, in San Carlos, Sonora State, Mexico. Jean had already been rescuing feral dogs for a number of years. This litter of four puppies had been born underneath a trailer parked on a dirt road near Ben and Jean’s house. They were all cute, healthy little pups and Jean quickly found homes for three of them. However, the fourth had ended up being taken in by Jean and Ben and named Sammy.
The picture below shows Jean holding Sammy when she was around 3 months old.
Thus, as it does for all of us, time passed to the point where last Friday, Sammy’s back legs had become so arthritic that she was unable to walk without a great deal of pain and, at the grand old age of 13 1/2, it was time for her to go to that big dog prairie in the sky.
For Jean especially, this was a tough loss as Ben had loved Sammy so much. Sammy was the most sweet and gentle of dogs. I know that all of you who have had experience of putting a dog or cat to sleep will share the angst that Jean endured last Friday.
Thank you Sammy for being such a loving animal throughout your entire life.
Learning from Dogs 
What a beautiful dog Sammy was! May he rest in peace.
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Nataly, that’s very sweet of you to stop by Learning from Dogs and leave your blessing for Sammy. Thank you. And loved your own Blog – will take a closer look over the coming days. P.
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Paul, may Sammy rest in peace. He was gorgeous. Perhaps you would like to read this article about pet grieving. It helped me a lot. http://taildom.com/blog/by-contributors/how-to-cope-with-pet-grieving/
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Daniela, That article that you linked to was fabulous. Jean and I sat up in bed earlier this morning reading it through together. I may well write about that in the future.
It’s so true about the love that we experience from our pets, as pure and as unconditional as one would find anywhere. It truly motivates us to embrace the only way forward for humanity – love.
Thank you for your thoughts. P.
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Bless you for your love for Sammy.
What a gift such lives are to us.
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Dean, thank you so much for your words. Jean saw them earlier this morning, as I mentioned in my reply to Daniela. The real miracle is not the love we show our pets but the way that they love us!
We watched a programme last night about American Nomads, all 3 million of them. Many were comfortable couples ending out their lives touring SW America in their RVs. But so many of them were down and outs, living rough, scavenging from bins, and all the implications thereof. What was striking was that the majority of these rough-living individuals chose to live their life with a dog. It said to me that the only form of love that they could count on was the love from their dog.
As you so perfectly said, what a gift the lives of our dogs are to us.
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Sending you all my thoughts… But as you know I also know Sammy is not gone, and some day will be wagging her tail in greetings once again as she races to greet the humans that gave her such love…
Thinking about you Both.. ~Sue xx
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Thank you, Sue. Reminds me of the saying that goes something like when we die, all the dogs we ever loved will be waiting for us at the gates of Heaven. Poor Jeannie will take hours and hours being greeted by the dozens, literally, of dogs she has loved in her life!
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Paul and Jean – I am so sorry for your loss. You honor her life with your grief. You honor her spirit by releasing her. -Ken
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Ken, Beautiful words and thoughts from you; thank you so much, P.
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Jean and Paul,
With sincere sympathy, it is always a sad occasion when we lose a loving friend dear to our hearts. Love from our pets is a blessing; they bring us comfort, joy, unconditional love, and never judge us. Sammy now rests peacefully, without pain, in a very unique place God has designed especially for His friends in the animal kingdom.
Merci
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Merci, thank you for holding us all in your thoughts, Paul
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Being a vet tech, I see so much pain everyday at work, both animal and human. Even though it is very difficult to put a beloved pet to sleep, I’ve come to realize that it is the last act of love an owner can do for a suffering pet. It is never an easy decision, but I know Sammy loves you and is grateful that you made the tough choice to end his pain.
Rest in peace, Sammy. Watch over and protect your owners from above.
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Hi Kait, and thanks for coming to Learning from Dogs and leaving such a tender introduction. Took a quick peek at your own website and found it most interesting. Good luck, Paul
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