Samson 

 #09-102 SAMSON, age 9 1/2

Weight: 66 pounds

AVAILABLE

#09-102 Samson, update 2/20

Samson’s foster mom sends this up-to-the-minute report:

If you have been looking for love, then Samson is the guy for you. He just wants to please you and be with you.  When you walk into the house, he’s always there, waiting to greet you with  a gentle kiss on the hand. If someone comes knocking at the door, he’ll bark (just doing his watchdog job!), but he’s good about quieting down when asked. He is friendly to strangers but doesn't jump on them.  

 Samson likes to be petted and brushed, and he’ll let you clip his nails and trim his fur without protest. He was even good for his bath! And though he’s officially a “senior” at 9 1/2 years old, he still likes to run in the yard and look for squirrels; sometimes his pal Kelsey chases him around, and he seems to like that game. Walks are a big favorite, and he’ll go for one block or one mile, your choice. He  walks very nicely on his Easy Walk harness and doesn’t pull much, if at all. He’s used to walking with Kelsey (I have 100 pounds of dog between the two of them!). He is curious about everything and every smell when he's outside.

 Samson loves to show off for treats.  He did very well at his Dog Companion class—even the small dogs liked to be around a big dog when it was Samson.

 Samson is a calm dog in the house and will hang out with you wherever you are. He doesn’t seem to care about balls or toys, though. He’s not at all protective of his food; he’ll wait for you to put down the bowl, and you can pet him as he enjoys his meals. He’s crate trained and will wander into the crate on his own. He puts himself to bed if you stay up late, and he sleeps quietly through the night.

 We’ve had Samson around big and little dogs and he generally does just fine. He doesn't appear to have much experience with a larger group of dogs, but I think he would learn. He’s not an “alpha” type (his pal Kelsey is definitely the boss in the relationship). When he sees another dogs out walking, though, he is very interested and may bark—but once we’ve gone past, he forgets all about it!  He has also learned to ignore dogs barking on the other side of a fence, even when they are barking up a storm.

 At first, Samson was more interested in my two cats than the kitties would have liked, but now he mostly ignores them except for an occasional sniff. He’ll do fine with a cat in the house (and in fact, in his previous home he did live with cats).

 We’ve also visited a family with small children, and Samson did very well with them. He didn’t knock them over, despite his size; he seems to sense that he needs to be careful around kids. He has been calm around children playing in the street and I think he'll do well with just about any kids.

 Sweet Samson is outgoing, social, friendly, quiet & a lot of fun to have in the house. He’s a funny guy who will make you laugh when he grins at you! He is a quick learner. He’ll make someone very happy!

 #09-102 SAMSON, update 1/16/13

 Samson’s foster mom sends this report:

Say hello to  lovable, friendly Samson! He is a real lover boy with the sweetest disposition. He really likes to be petted and brushed, and even at 9 1/2 years old, he is still active: he adores his walks and just cannot wait to go out every day.  He is curious about everything and will chase anything out in the yard. Squirrels are a favorite target, though he can also stand still for minutes on end watching them before he makes his move.

 Samson is a calm dog in the house and loves attention, even if he has to put his head in your lap to get it. He doesn’t seem to care about balls or other toys, though. He’s not at all protective of his food and you can pet him as he enjoys his meals. He’s crate trained and will wander in on his own.

 He’s generally a good walker, although he does get intent on things he sees and may start to pull; but he’s already learning to stop and turn toward me when I call his name instead of just charging ahead. Good dog!

 We’ve had Samson around big and little dogs and he does just fine. He’s not an “alpha” type (his pal Kelsey is definitely the boss in the relationship). When he sees other dogs out walking, though, he gets very interested and kind of “presses in.” I thought this might intimidate another dog, so I called in a trainer friend and we took some walks together so she could give me some pointers. I can see a big improvement already! I’ve even been able to draw his attention away from other dogs trying to start a “fence fight” when we walk by.

 Samson gets along with cats (he lived with one in his previous home). He DOES like to get up close and personal, and my cat is not too thrilled with that, but I think Samson will do fine with a cat in the house.

 We’ve also visited a family with small children, and Samson did very well with them. He didn’t knock them over, despite his size; he seems to sense that he needs to be careful around kids.

 Sweet Samson is outgoing, social, friendly, quiet & a lot of fun to have in the house. He’s a funny guy who makes me laugh! He is learning very quickly (maybe relearning some things) and seems to love every person and every dog he meets. He’ll make some lucky family very happy!