ABOUT THE WINNER:
 Just the
Facts:
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Sam is a neutered mixed breed dog whose primary components are
probably those of a Chow (dark, mottled tongue;
general body shape; heavy and longish coat; doesn't swim; excels
at math and science) and, to a lesser extent, Golden Retriever
(shape of the head; extremely fond of "his people"; excessive
vanity regarding his personal appearance). Sam is
approximately two and a half years old as of March 2000.
He weighs about 60 lbs. He has gained 15 lbs since we adopted him
in March 1999, but is not overweight. Like many of the area's
most outstanding dogs (e.g. Tiyoo, Eli, and his new
little sister,
Lucy), Sam was adopted from
Animal Haven. |
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AKC Papers?: |
No, but the "Chow mix" may be the most
numerous "non-breed" in existence, if the demographic makeup of
area animal shelters is any indication. |
What's in a
Name?
 |
Sam's name at the time we adopted him was
"Alphonso." We didn't like the name (you try yelling "Alphonso" in
public!) and, apparently, neither did he because, while
otherwise attentive, he NEVER responded to that name. Moreover,
the local dog parks can be a hard place for a young male
dog trying to fit in, and a name like Alphonso was certainly
not going to help. Alyson and I
believed he hadn't had the name long and may have been
given the name by his last owner, who kept him only a short while
before taking him to the SPCA. Alyson then hit upon a brilliant
idea: call out as many common male dog names as we could think of
and see if he responded to any of them. He remained utterly
impassive as Alyson and I called out "Max," "Spot," "Chuck," "Buddy,"
and "Little Lord Fauntleroy"
in our cross-species game of charades. After several minutes, he
started to walk off, doubtless out of
embarassment over the spectacle we were making, when one of us
tried "Sam." At that point, he stopped, turned and looked at us,
and started wagging his tail in the enthusiastic yet rythm-less way
we've since come to know so well. We knew then that his original
name, the name he was given in the happy if temporary
home of his puppyhood, must have been Sam; either that, or he was
thoroughly amused at the thought that we were trying to coax him
with an offer of "Spam." |
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Mottoes: |
"I would prefer not to"; "Were you
going to finish that?"; "Who's your buddy, who's your pal?";
and "Ciao!" |
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Sam's "A list": |
St.Ella, Sam's dearly departed much older sister with whom
he got to spend many an afternoon frolicking, wrestling, and
getting into mischief; Riley, his favorite
Azalea park buddy and
most excellent wrestling companion;
Lucy,
his new little sister, who gleefully plays the "Lucy" role to
Sam's "Charlie Brown"; and hundgeist, or whatever
the name is of his imaginary dog playmate with whom he wrestles
for milk bones when he thinks no one is watching.
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Sam (I Am)
