Well, it’s been a week now since Samson has joined our family. The ride home was uneventful and he actually was almost asleep. He adapted well the first night – making the decision that he was in no way going to sleep in the floor like a common dog. I certainly don’t have to worry about anyone stealing the bed at night, that‘s for sure! He has found that the furniture is the best place to sleep during the day (unless of course he’s sunbathing.) He’s a big cuddly guy and he does actually fit (well almost!) on a lap.

His vet check up was great and he has a clean bill of health. He’s doing very well on our daily walks and we are making great strides with all his training. The basic commands are almost completely mastered as is the “counter surfing” issue. The others have accepted him and he has actually started to “wrestle” with them during their play time. That’s a big accomplishment! He’s even started playing tug-o-war with Scoobee Dew and it’s a pretty even match! They are becoming friends and we can see that they will grow to be very good companions for each other. They already sleep together and are even touching most of the time.

For a first week, I’d say it has gone better than expected. He has a birthday this week and he’s going to have his first birthday party with us. More on that next week.

It’s our month 4 check-in regarding our adoption of Baxter. It is hard to believe that he has only been with us for a few months. It seems like he has been a part of the family forever. Baxter just completed a full Basic Obedience Training class and he did wonderfully. I have attached photo of Baxter on his graduation day (and several other photos). If they were giving awards, he would have been designated as the class valedictorian! I actually might have considered registering him for the Intermediate Training Class if the weather and driving wasn’t so bad lately……maybe this summer.

Baxter has adopted wonderfully to our home and our family. He is nothing but a big, brown teddy bear. He loves long walks on the leash - and he would trade his dinner for a ride in the car. He is learning to play with toys - and he is no longer afraid of the black and white tile floor in our kitchen (how bizarre - but it really was funny!) Despite his hip dysplasia, he gets around fine and has no problem at all running around in the yard or up and down the stairs.

Baxter and I celebrated our birthdays together last month (our birthdays are just a day apart). He is in amazing shape for a dog that just turned seven years old. We hope we have another seven good years together! I am looking forward to the good weather when I can take him out to Dog Park and see if he will swim.

Please be assured that Baxter is happy in his forever home and we feel that we could not have found a better dog. After the death of our last lab this past summer, I never thought we would want another dog. I am just so grateful that I came across your agency - and Baxter’s photo -when surfing the web one evening. Keep up all your good work!