Goodbye, Sampson.

In this line of work, you have many opportunities to fall in love. Every dog that arrives at our shelter brings along his or her own quirks, personality and baggage. And each dog reminds us, in some way, that humans can be both the most cruel and the most noble of creatures.

In February of this year, we met Sampson as he was brought into our shelter: he was emaciated, sick and frightened. We worked closely with him, nursed him back to health, and thanks to the love and sacrifice of one family, Sampson was given a wonderful home.

Regretfully, Sampson's family has reported to us that he has passed away. They said he went peacefully in his sleep. Sampson's vet in California believes that years of abuse and neglect had taken their toll on him and that it was a miracle in itself that he lived as long as he had.