Our Super-Snuggly Sammy
Friday, August 30, 2013
By: Jodi Paus

Our Super-Snuggly Sammy

Before September 8, 2011, I was very much NOT a dog person. My family has had many dogs that seemed to be a little crazy, crabby or both and it had turned me off to almost all animals. I, however, fell in love Eric and he loves all animals. He often would ask me if we could get a dog. My response was always, "A real dog? No." I'd tell him we traveled too much or we were too busy and most importantly I didn't like dogs.
On Labor Day weekend a couple years ago, my mom asked me what I was going to get Eric for his upcoming birthday and I told her I was thinking of getting a dog. She was shocked! My whole family was shocked.
Eric had always wanted to go to the humane society and just look but I knew we'd come home with one that didn't fit our personalities so I thought this was a good way I could pick out what I would like. For a week or so, I was stalking the Nebraska Humane Society's website trying to find a dog who would fit us. I have a friend who volunteers there so she would help me figure out what was best for us. Finally one day I saw Sammy, a small, scared looking pug who was just a 5-6 months old. He melted my heart immediately so I knew I had to meet him. However Eric had no idea I was even looking so I called him at work to tell him I found his birthday gift. When I told him about getting a dog, he was speechless except for, "Wait. What? Really?"
After some reassuring, I left Lincoln to meet Sammy. Eric wanted a bigger dog. He wanted one who would like the boat and the lake. He wanted one he could snuggle with. Sammy is a pug (not known for being water dogs and not really good in the heat), he was small but he was snuggly.
He jumped on my lap and I was instantly in love. Eric on the otherhand, almost didn't want to come meet him because Sam wasn't what he had pictured for him/us. After more talking into than I had imagined, Eric came down to meet him too. Not even one second after meeting him Sammy jump up onto Eric's lap and he told them, "We'll take him." All day people had been outside the room waiting to meet Sam. They would knock on the window and ask me if we were going to adopt him. We were meant to be together so we took him home.
Now, two years later, I'm the crazy dog lady sporting pug sunglasses, shirts and bags. Eric is just as pug-crazy as I am. "Pug Daddy" is they call him at work. Sammy now has a brother -- another pug named Ozzy. We got him as a puppy from a pug rescue in Omaha. They are the greatest of brothers and we are a happy little family together. We have taken Sammy and Ozzy on the airplane with us to Arizona and California and that dog we didn't think would be a lake dog, LOVES being on the boat, wading in the water and running up and down the beach.