Happy Birthday, Sam

Happy 11th Birthday to Sam, aka Sammydog, my Mum's dog.

Sam was one of five pups resulting from a liaison between my brother-in-law's dog, Morgan (yes, as in Mad Dog Morgan), and my dog, Lass, when we lived on the farm. Morgan made the cross-country trip of 6km or so to express his ardour for Lass at the appropriate time. As far as we can tell, Sam is a Border Collie/Kelpie mix, and looks like a gold-and-white Border Collie.

Mum said she would only take one of the pups if she could have the pick of the litter. Sam has certainly turned out to be one of those dogs with real personality (and intelligence) and has been absolutely "bombproof" around all of the grandchildren. His one weakness is chasing and catching tennis balls, and will do so way beyond anyone's enthusiasm for throwing it.

Sam now lives back on the farm with my sister's family, since Mum and Dad moved to an apartment earlier this year. He is enjoying "retirement" from all accounts, and lives in the lap of luxury as a "house" dog, as opposed to the working sheepdogs.