Wednesday, August 19, 2020

GOTCHA DAY FOR SWEET SEMINOLE SAM! by Cheryl Pierson



Yesterday, August 18th, was a very special day in the Pierson household. It was our two-year anniversary of “Gotcha Day” for our sweet boy, Sammy!

“Gotcha Day” is what many call the day a new pet comes to live with their family—a perfect, heartfelt matchup—and not only did we “get” Sammy, he got us, too!

The beginning of this story starts now nearly 12 years ago, before Sammy was ever born. My daughter, Jessica, adopted a fluffy white Great Pyrenees puppy from a shelter named “Embry”—at that time, the Twilight series was very popular, and when the puppies were born in the shelter, the staff named them all after characters from Twilight. “Embry” was a minor character in the series and my daughter kept the name because she thought it fit him.


About a year-and-a-half later, Jessica had to move from where she lived to a place that had a small backyard, no fence, and was close to a highway. We became “grandparents with custody” at that point—a big relief for all of us—except my husband, Gary, had sworn off pets after the kids had left home after high school.


It took about a DAY for him to realize that Embry was his soul-mate dog. Embry lived with us until his death in July, 2018.
I’ve spent my life taking care of animals and people, and I knew Embry would want us to rescue another dog and bring him or her into our lives. I bugged my husband relentlessly. He dug in his heels. He did not want another dog. But I DID. So how to solve it? I begged him to just “go look” and see!

We went to the city shelter in the small town where I was raised, Seminole, Oklahoma. There was a dog that I’d shown him on their website that he’d shown mild interest in. I asked them to bring Sammy out for us to see. Sammy came right over to us, sat down on Gary’s foot, and would not budge. When he looked up at Gary, his entire expression said, “You are mine. I’m so glad you’re here for me!” I asked Gary if he wanted to look around, and he said, “No. There’s no need.”


He dubbed Sammy “Sweet Seminole Sam” and August 18th became Sammy’s “Gotcha Day”—one of the best days in our lives.


But the story doesn’t end there! At the shelter, Sammy had been a social butterfly. The employees and other dogs all loved Sammy. Believe it or not, Sammy had been adopted once and returned—for digging holes in the backyard. He was about three months old, and put into the backyard alone, left to his own devices. I think he was trying to dig his way out and back to his friends!

After we’d had Sammy for a couple of months, I noticed a kind of pensive expression on his sweet face sometimes. I could only imagine what was going through his mind. I told Gary I thought Sammy needed another dog.


I love them all, but knew that we should probably look for a dog that was about the same age or younger than Sammy, who, at that time, was around 13 months old--this was in February 2019.

There was a little waif that had been dumped with his siblings on the shelter steps when they were not even a month old. That would have been late January, 2019. He was white with light brown shading on his back. They thought he was part Great Pyrenees, probably from his coloring, but there were darker colored siblings, so said he might be also part German Shepherd. I didn’t care what he was—he was ALL love! He looked so lost and forlorn in his picture that was posted. I knew he was the one. His Gotcha Day is March 11, 2019.

He had been named “Axel” but that didn’t fit. We changed it to “Max” in case he’d gotten used to hearing that sound and already might have started learning his name.


Jessica and I drove the hour drive to Seminole to pick him up. On the way home he threw up in the back seat and when I held him he peed on me—twice! Then he went to sleep. I was in love.

When we got him home, I went to pick Sammy up from doggie daycare, and Jessica gave Max a bath. Sammy walked right in and loved him immediately. It was “Gotcha Day” for Sammy, too—he got a new little brother!

This is one of my favorite pictures of them together. Max has gathered all the toys in a pile around him, looking so pleased with himself. Sammy has come up to tell on him. The looks on their faces say it all--Max is proud, Sammy is saying, "Oh, brother, look what I have to put up with!"

If I had a bigger place, I would have as many dogs as I could. It would be “Gotcha Day” several times over!

Do you have a pet that you celebrate “Gotcha Day” for? Since we don’t know their birthdays, this is the day we celebrate with ice cream cones, special treats, and car rides! What do you do for your pet’s “Gotcha Day” celebration?

11 comments:

  1. So glad to see when rescue animals are a top priority and they find loving homes. Thanks for sharing, Cheryl. Great pics!

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    1. David, if I knew "then" what I know "now"--I would probably have been an animal activist/rescuer my entire life. I know I would have done so much more when I was younger. It's funny how our society has changed, and our ideas of how animals should be treated and cared for have changed, also. It really makes my heart glad to see rescue animals finally get a good loving home. I tell you, if I had a good piece of land I would probably turn it into a rescue for as long as I was able to do it. So glad you came by, and glad you enjoyed the pics. I think I've got more pics of my dogs than I do my kids. LOL

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  2. Cheryl,

    I grew up in a family of animal taker-in-ers. lol If an animal needed help or a home, we took them with open arms and hearts. I've got a few 'interesting' stories about how some of these animals ended up with us, too. lol I didn't lose that part of my upbringing as I got older. I still take in animals. *hugs*

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    1. Kaye, I know you do so much for animals. I wish I could do so much more than I do. One thing I never realized that helped so much to get rescue animals to good homes is the workings of social media! When we share on Facebook, you never know who is going to see that animal and think, "That's the one!" In many cases, animal transport is available if the would-be adopter lives a good distance from the animal they want to adopt. There is so much more awareness these days, and willingness to help these animals all find good, loving homes--but there is still so much to be done. Thanks for all you do!

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  3. I loved reading about your pets and how they came to be part of your family. It's blessings all around. Love the photos, too. You are definitely a patron saint for all dogs that need a loving home.

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    1. Elizabeth, thank you. I wish I had more room, I would adopt more, more, more! There are so many animals that need a home--cats and dogs! The other day, I saw a pig that needed a home! (He was adopted quickly.) I always had cats when I was growing up, and my kids had cats. So I guess now I'm making up for lost time with dogs! LOL Thanks so much for coming by today!

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  4. What a wonderful way to celebrate. They are both just adorable and I know they are happy to have a wonderful loving home. Since I am a 'cat' person, my babies were either left with me, given to me, or chose me. That pretty much takes care of the current three. LOL. Doris

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    1. Doris, I can't tell you how many cats I had growing up that we got that way. We lived caddy-cornered from a park that we all played in all the time and my mom could look out the kitchen window and see the entire park. One day she was doing dishes and it was snowing outside and she called me in there. "Cheryl, go down to the park and get that old cat that's sitting down there and bring her up here for some warm milk." We had a new cat. LOL So many things like that. Love all animals so much!

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    2. What a beautiful story. WOW! Thanks for sharing it. Doris

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  5. You know how much I love my cat, Victoria. The thoughts that she could have ended up in a shelter if I hadn't taken her, makes me cringe. You and your fur babies are an inspiration to me and I have become an active member of Baby Leo Animal Rescue in my area. Happy rescue day to your babies. Hugs. Agnes.

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    1. WONDERFUL, AGNES! I'm soooo glad you told me I've inspired you to become active in a nearby rescue group in your area. That's what really is needed--more volunteers and people "in the field"--though I'm not nearly able to do what I might have done years ago at an earlier age. But we do what we can--no matter WHAT, it's something, and together everyone can make a huge difference in the lives of animals. I love to see pictures of Victoria. She is so gorgeous, and I know you love her dearly.

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