Two years ago, I wrote a post, Ten Things I Love About Delilah. (You can read it HERE if you missed it.) It was a fun and uplifting post to write, and I truly hope you all do it for your pet. Especially if you are struggling with a challenging dog, because truly, focusing on their positive traits really does help.

Jan indicated that she wanted a list about Sampson, and I really dropped the ball. Part of this post has been sitting in my dashboard for two years. But today, I really didn’t know what I was going to write about and so I thought it might be time to finish this post.

Please keep the typing to a minimum…I’m trying to sleep.

Sampson is my heart dog and with the exception of a few traits where he acts like an asshole, most of the time the sun rises and sets with him. So here, in no particular order, are ten things I love about Sampson.

1. 1. Devotion – This is not to say that he doesn’t love his Daddy, or other members of our family, but he is devoted to me. When I am away from him, he sleeps in my bed and typically when I come back he is plastered to me. One day I brought him to visit our disabled neighbor and I wanted to help her out by grabbing her mail. She was sitting on the steps in her garage and Sampson settled in on the floor in front of her. I told him to “Stay”, dropped the leash and walked to the end of the driveway. As I was walking I could hear her talking to him, telling him to stay with her and that it was okay, so I looked back, thinking he was getting up, but no, he wasn’t. He was still right where I had left him, but his head was up and his eyes never left me. That’s devotion.
   2. Friendliness – Yes, it’s true this can sometimes be a huge pain in the ass because he thinks every car and every person are there just for him. He will stop whatever he is doing to look at person/car and then surges forward with a jaunt in his step anxious to greet his new or old friend. I think I can count the times he has growled at someone on one hand. Once it was directed at Delilah (I laughed, because really….all the times she has sniped at him, I admit, it gave me a little pleasure to see him standing up for himself), one time in North Carolina on vacation he growled at a man walking the beach. I later found out he wasn’t very nice man at all.  And I think one time he may have growled at one of the grandkids when he was hurt, but I can’t say that with certainty.
   3. Laid-back attitude – For real you guys, this dog is so easy-going. I can literally roll him, shift his back-end, look in his ears, and it doesn’t bother him a bit. Except for nails, he hates having his nails clipped, or filed.
   4. Snuggle ability – This happens on his terms. When he wants his snuggling, you will comply. He loves his ears rubbed, and he will lie next to you (on the bed, or floor) moving his head into your hand for what seems like hours. I’ve actually fallen asleep trying to satisfy his need for ear rubs.
      

      Snuggle bug

   5. Confidence – Sampson is a confident dog, in that he knows his peeps love him, and he normally does not compete for attention. Although I will say, there are times, when one of us is loving on Delilah and Sampson will push his way over and want some attention, but for the most part. He knows he’s the top dog.
   6. Sweetness – People continuously remark to me what a sweet dog he is. Truthfully, I was wondering about counting this, because I wonder if it’s a redundancy of friendliness, but since this is my post, it stays.
   7. Patience – Sampson is such a super, patient guy. He knows he will get his walk, snack, or dinner. He will remind you, but in a very gentle way. Instead of giving you the Lab Death Stare, or barking at you, he simply gets up, moves closer to you and watches, and patiently waits.
   8. Obedience – Sampson is a good boy. He learned his manners, and he learned them well, and he remembers them. You could set a plate of food down in front of him, tell him to “leave it” and walk away. You can come back 5 minutes later, and that plate will still be there. Intact. Of late, he’s losing “Wait,” but any of the others. He’s spot on.
   9. Charm – This dog can charm the socks off just about anyone. Granted there are a few people in our neighborhood who have managed to snub him, but for the most part, he sets his sites on you, and he Roos you. It starts with the Roo and the tail wag, and sooner or later, they are speaking to him, then before you know it, they are petting him, and now it’s a daily stop on our walk.
   10. Adaptability – You want to walk? He’ll walk. You want to cuddle on the couch? He’ll cuddle on the couch, he’s almost like having a camouflage dog.

It only took two years, but I finally got it done!

Have you ever listed your favorite things about your pet? Did you find it easy or hard?