This is (the late) Samwise Gamgee.  This picture was taken about 5 months after he came to live with our family in October 2003.  Poor little Sammy had had a rough time of it before he got here.  He was malnourished, incontinent, unsocialized, had a cough and a ''lost hope'' look in his face.  He had spent his 5 or so years of life locked up in a kennel some place before whoever had him abandoned him to live on the streets.  His teeth at one time or another had also been broken (I suspect someone kicked/hit him in the face, or hit him with a car etc.)  Sammy turned into a whole new dog after he came to live with us.  Unfortunatly the years of abuse and neglect he'd previously suffered through did his health no favors, so after almost six years here, he finally succumed to kidney failure on December 31, 2008.

Sammy sleeping.  Such a bum!  Life's soooo rough!  Not only did Sam have every sofa in the house to call his own, but he also has his own bed . . . MINE!  This picture was taken in March 2006.  Sam was a buff Cocker Spaniel, and after a few months with us, he ''let his inner Cocker Spaniel loose'' and turned into a typical Cocker - happy, merry, and bubble-headed!  I'm not saying he was dumb, he wasn't (you don't survive on the streets by being an idiot!)  There was quite a bit more going on between his ears then a lot of people realized.  But sometimes he acted the airhead!

Bacci ''The Princess''.  Bacci came to live with us when she was a 1 year old, I suspect her previous family was having a hard time dealing with a 1 year old Labrador.  If you've ever had a young Lab, you know what I'm talking about!!  Bacci has a lot of nicknames, Botch, B, Princess, Sweetie, Babydoll . . . you get the idea!  She's such a darling baby girl, and really as sweet as her namesake - the gourmet Italian chocolates (Chocolate Lab, chocolate candy, get it? ha ha).

Merlin and Bacci loved to play!  And they played hard!  Bacci missed Merlin pretty hard after he passed.

Looking for a new Labrador to adopt into your family?  Check here!  Safe Harbor Lab Rescue - Rehoming Labs with Good People

This is Rexford Saxon Dog, my sister's Black Labrador.  This picture was taken when he was about a year old, and oh was he a punk then!  Such a naughty boy!  But Labs, if you manage to get them through the first three years without cheefully strangling them, usually end up being great dogs!  It's just those first three years . . . AAARRRGGGHHH!

Rex again, this picture was taken near Leadville CO in September of 2001 while we were camping.  Rex has grown up into a great moose of a dog!  He tips the scales at just over 100lbs, but for all his size, he is a gentle soul, wouldn't hurt a flea . . . unless of course the flea hurt his mommy, then I wouldn't want to watch what he'd do!

This is Merlin, taken when he was about 2 or 3 years old.  ''Merlie'' was born in Idaho Springs Colorado; his dad was a Cocker Spaniel and his mom a Flat Coat Retriver.  He was a sharp character, I could talk to him, and he knew what I wanted, and even better still, he did it!  It took less than 2 minutes to teach Merlie ''sit'', and he never failed to sit when I told him to.  He also knew a whole series of hand signals - he was a pretty amazing dog.

Merlin was born October 13, 1988, and he passed away January 19, 2003.  He had a genetic disease called Autoimmune hemolytic anemia.  He lost his battle with this genetic disease after fighting the good fight for 5 years.  I still miss him very much, and always will.  Click this link for more information on the disease Encyclopedia of Canine Veterinary Medical Information.

Arthur and Merlin.  Arthur was our first Labrador.  Well . . . to be honest, Arthur was a Lab mix.  We got him when he was a wee little pup, from in front of a grocery store.  The lady giving him away said his mother was ''a nice little brown dog''.  I suspect she was a German Shepard (not so little!)  Arthur was one of those very unique dogs that comes along from time to time.  He was smarter than smart, he knew exactly what you were saying, and would respond approprietly to it.  He was also very protective.  He could give people one of those looks that said ''don't mess with me, you'll lose'', and you knew you would lose, there was just no question about it.  But for all that, he never attacked or hurt anyone, he didn't need to!  And he was great with kids!  Arthur passed away years ago, but he had a very long life - he nearly made it to 18 years old!  He was about 5 years old when this picture was taken.