Mary – I can’t express how sad I am to learn that Samson has gone on to the Rainbow Bridge. I knew he was sick and not eating, but hadn’t a chance to check your site in the last couple of days. Samson wasn’t with you long, but be assured no one else but you could have given that special old boy all the love and extra care that he deserved in his senior years. I know how much effort you put into saving all the dogs in your care. Words always seem so inadequate at times like these. Please accept my heartfelt condolences on your loss.Deanna – I’m so very sorry and sad to read of Samson’s passing. I’m sorry I never got a chance to meet such a majestic gentleman as it sounds like he was, but I’m so very glad he ended his life surrounded with love at BHRR.

Simone – No words can express the sadness I feel for your loss. It was Samson’s story that inspired me to give a home to a senior. I do not regret having tried and I have not given up on welcoming one into my home – when the time is right. He was not with you long but you were able to give him a reason to live by accompanying you on your early morning walks and being the official BRHH greeter. I have shed many a tear today, sharing your loss however knowing he is no longer suffering. His spirit lives on and visitors to your website will know his story – A story only you could write!

Merrilee – In a way, I’m glad Samson didn’t get adopted. We know it’s HARD to find someone to trust with animals, and I know with you Samson was with someone trustworthy. I didn’t worry about whether he was loved or being looked after. I knew he had the best. Your tribute to him was lovely. I hadn’t realized you took walks together every morning possible. That was something he certainly did enjoy, I can be sure. Thank you for taking Samson in, and for caring for him as well as he ever could have gotten, and for LOVING him so much.

I am writing this with a very clenched heavy heart and tears. I avoided typing this all day for to do so, makes the reality seem just that much more harsh. I made the decision to let Samson go last night. As selfish as I wanted to be, he deserves better and he had the right to keep his dignity. Samson had begun to suffer and that is something that I could not bear to be the cause of prolonged pain to him. I do have several regrets where Samson is concerned:
1) That I did not have more time with him
2) That his body began shutting down on him LONG before his heart, soul and mind were ready to cross over. He was full of lessons, quietly yet sagely given and that we could only benefit from. I deeply mourn such a huge loss.
3) That I shall do my 5:30 AM walks without him. Samson and I had a ritual that before most of the rest of the world was awake, he and I alone would take a stroll at his pace down our laneway and if he was up to it, down one of the paths that we have begun to cut through the property. It was almost magical watching the sun come up with Samson by my side and I just knew that he experienced just as much joy in something that was so very special.
4) I regret that Samson did not see one more sunrise or have one more stroll. His poor old body could barely stand and he would fall over even trying to pee.
5) I regret that people did not seem to realise just what a magnificent creature Samson was and open up their home/hearts to adopt him yet if they had; I would not have had the time that I did have with him. AND that time is something that I will never regret.
Samson did not have a mean bone in his body, he was kind, gentle, wise and for those that have met him, a rare gem of this world. There was not one dog or human that he did not like. I held him in my arms last night stroking him and I could see the trust through the pain in his eyes. At one point I could only bury my face in his neck and try not to sob. I am filled with impossible pain and my dear sweet beloved Samson, we will meet again and we will take longer walks as your body will be healthy and light and we will experience eternal sunsets together, my old friend. You were one in a million.

I am taking Samson into the vet. He has started to vomit up blood and while his stools are well formed, they are filled with blood.

Samson was back to eating today and while it is not back to his normal level, he is at least back to eating. I will monitor him for the next 24 hours and if anything changes, I will bring him in immediately.

We had begun to cut Samson down on the Flagyl from 4 a day to 3 and he began have accidents in the house again, so we are maintaining a dose of 4 Flagyl pills a day. Samson is also having another rough time in getting up, walking and moving around. Late last week, he slipped walking up a step and went down on his side hard and my heart just clenched. With some massage and lots of TLC, Samson was ok. Today, is the first day since he has been with us that he has not eaten his breakfast. Samson LOVES his food, treats and yummies, so I will be making him an appointment to bring him back in to see the Vet. I am once again very worried about him. This boy has grabbed at me very strongly and I call him my ‘King’.

In the 3 days that Samson has been on Flagyl, he has only had one accident in the house!

Samson had a really bad night and I took him into the vets today. He has an infection and is now on treatment and we are also putting him back on the Flagyl to firm up his stools. He was SOOOO happy at the Vet Hospital and his leash manners were impeccable. He could be on the Flagyl indefinitely and we are going to start on 4 pills daily for a week and then decrease to three pills a day for a week and then down to two pills a day for a week. We want to find the most minimal dose to give him and at the same time maintaining his stools to a suitable texture and frequency. The vet noted that his anus has lost some of it’s musculature which can be a natural process of aging. Samson’s bladder control is completely normal. Once warmed up, Samson had a lot less wobbling and bobbling and seem to want to ‘strut’ his stuff to all that would watch. He is such a ‘ham’ and SO social! I am very glad and relieved to hear that he will be ok and that he still has the opportunity to be a king in someone’s home. I was very worried about him. His leg is also looking better as well and I found it somewhat hard to believe that he has put on weight!!! He is now 59.70 kgs(131.34 pounds). Samson makes a great car travelling companion. Thanks to those who sent their thoughts for Samson. Samson is now home, had another bath and is wrapped up in several thick blankets dozing happily. To lose Samson would have hit us very hard and the world would have lost a very special creature.

Unfortunately, Samson is not doing better and is in fact, worse. He is having loss of his bm’s almost every time he tries to stand and is having a lot more trouble even trying to stand. When he is standing and walking now; he is a lot more wobbly and unstable. I will be bringing Samson back into the vet as I am deeply concerned.

I took Samson to the vet today as I am most concerned about his foot. He now weighs 57.6KG(126.72 lbs) which is down 10.1 kgs(22.22 lbs) from last November and that is a ideal weight for his frame. We did an X-Ray of his foot just to be sure there is no tumour and his bones are fine. The vet advises to keep doing what we are doing and plugging away with our treatment. I also discussed Samson’s recent loss of bowel control sometimes when getting up. This started before he was on the antibiotics yet it is possible that they have exacerbated the problem. The vet also did a ‘neuro’ test on Samson and he was not even aware the one of his hind feet had been turned under and back. Samson has had a weaker hind end due to the plate and with his age yet time has now given him some loss of sensory in his his hind end and that also causes him to wobble a bit when he walks and especially tries to run. This is not abnormal in a dog of his age nor with the fact that he does have a plate in his leg. Samson had impeccable leash manners and is such a friendly, social boy. He drove into the Vet Hospital with his head resting on my 3 year old’s lap. He really liked the treat McDonald’s gave him after our visit! 🙂 Since his BM’s are loose right now, also a possible side effect of the antibiotics; we have him on Flagyll for the next 5 days at 4 pills a day. It is going to take a very special home for us to let Samson go to due to his age related issues along with his Thyroid. As long as Samson retains a high quality of life; we are going to continue to support, spoil and love him to pieces. I truly wish people could truly ‘see’ Samson for who he is.

The sore on Samson’s foot has become worse. We have moved from Cephalexin to Clavamox in order to get the infection under control. We also have some new pictures to post and will do shortly.

The spot on Samson’s foot is not any better and so we have become antibiotic treatment on him. We are also covering it with either a sock or taping it up with gauze and vet wrap when we are not present to help ensure that he does not worry at it.

We took some new pictures of Samson tonight with Sean’s new digital camera and as soon as we figure out how to download them; I will post them! While we were away; Samson worried at a spot on his foot; so we are now taking care of that. He looks like he also lost some weight and as he was finally at a great weight; we will work on putting that back on him.

I have received a couple of emails from people expressing concern that Arlo was placed without Samson. The reality is that while Arlo might be 8 years old, Arlo is a very ‘young’ 8. He could rival a lot of three year old Danes I have see. He is far too energetic for Samson. While Arlo did derive a lot of confidence from Samson when he first arrived, we have worked hard with Arlo so that that he had the confidence to know that he could stand on his own two feet. Once Arlo began interacting with a lot of the other dogs, many of them younger than him; he was in his glory and we know that Samson felt less pressure. For Samson, what he loves best is his short walks, lots of tummy scratching, loving and lying in front of the blazing fireplace. AND of course, eating! Samson is not meant for a home with young dogs, those mentally or physically. He does like the hustle and bustle of a busy home and that keeps his mind sharp and him stimulated yet he would not do well in a home that has other dogs that want to romp, play roughly, jump or run. He has taken on the role as ‘official BHRR greeting’ and takes all the new Rescues under his wings. Utterly fascinating. Samson is what I call a ‘rock’. Solid, dependable, confident and so incredible beautiful with his greying face!

I plan on bringing Samson in soon to have a re-weigh as he has lost some of that excess weight and is looking so handsome!

Samson George made me giggle today. He was trying to run outside as he felt so good and four of the other dogs could walk faster than his most enthusiastic gallop. It was like watching him move in ‘slow’ motion! 🙂 He was so happy and full of energy and it was great to watch!

We have decided that to the right home; we will provide three months supply of his Thyroid meds.

Now that Samson is on the correct dosage of meds; he is much more active yet still prefers snuggling up next to a warm fire and only prefers to do small walks. He loves lying in the sun and follows it from window to window in our home to catch some ‘rays’! HE is so sweet and does not hesitate to ‘bump’ under your elbow for his share of the loving!

Samson’s T4 has come back and he has registered under a count of 5. The machine cuts out at 5 so his thyroid is very low. A normal range is between 15-58. He is now on .8 mg of ThyroTabs. He receives one tab every 12 hours at a cost of $51.50 every 3 months. THIS is not an expensive condition to treat and he is great about taking his pills. I just add them to his food. Sam is now on Sentinel. The only way I can describe Samson is to say he is just YUMMY! I just love grabbing his big jowls and smooching him. He is just the best!!!

Samson George ended up going to the vet tonight for we had one of our own Danes hurt and then we also needed to let one of our own Danes cross the Bridge on October 28th. We did a manicure, pedicure, HW test and full exam on Samson George along with a Thyroid test. We looked at Samson’s missing toenail which is healing great! We also noted his one slightly underdeveloped eye that seems to be responding well to Polysporin drops at this time. He might require some eye surgery at some point in the future to fix that ‘rolled’ edge on his third eyelid yet for now he is doing well. His heart and lungs are also great! He weighs just under 68.7 kgs at this time and is still losing weight. Samson still needs to be microchipped as things were really busy at the Hospital tonight.

BHRR’s Samson George – Male Merle(chocolate hue to coat) Great Dane, 9 years old ( 1997), Neutered, Housetrained, utd on shots and on HW preventative. Samson George was Owner Surrendered to us with his friend Arlo due to their owner’s health. Samson George is on Thyroid meds at this time and we will be running a thryoid test along with a HW test when he goes to the vet on October 25th. He will also be receiving a manicure plus pedicure. Sam has a plate in his one hind leg due to an accident as a puppy yet he is doing great! We will also be looking closer at one of his eyes and he has one toe that is completely missing the toe nail. Samson is a great dog! He is so very dignified, gentle, quietly confident and does not hesitate to bump your elbow if he feels that HE is not getting his share of the loving! Very affectionate boy and I swear he actually SMILES!!! He does need to lose a bit of weight and is a ‘food hound’ but he is not possessive or aggressive with toys or his food whatsoever. I love when Samson gives these little sideways ‘hops’ when he is feeling playful or is just plain happy to see you. He is my new ‘old soul’ in our program for he comes across very ‘wise’ and is very contemplative of the world around him. Samson George and Arlo have come to us from New York