Adopter Name

Karen & Duprie Moon, Sr.

Rescue Dog’s Name

Samantha (Sam)

Where Did You Find Your Dog?

Sam was a stray.

Tell Us About the Moment When You Knew that You Two Were Meant for Each Other.

July 2003

How Has Your Hero Changed Your Life?

Most pet rescue stories start with using a rescue organization to find a pet and give them a forever home, this is the story of how our dog Sam, found us. Back in July of 2003 my wife and I were at her parents house in rural Indiana. Grilling out, kids were swimming, music was playing, everyone was having a great time. The kids in the pool noticed a dog sitting in the woods, they brought it to our attention, but we ignored it, assuming it was someones pet. She continued to watch and move closer, to the point that she appeared on our side of the pool, and she collapsed. It appeared as if she was dying, she was dehydrated, wounded, scared and absolute skin and bones. We took her a bowl of water and a bowl of food, she couldnt raise her head to eat or drink. She was so submissive, and appeared to have totally given up. She had thorns stuck in her, she was infested with ticks, some the size of a finger nail. There’s no telling how long she had been on the run, barely surviving. As the night wrapped up, she had finally raised her head enough to drink the water. Before we left, my wife Karen made a dog bed with blankets and pillows for her to lay on. On the way home, Karen convinced me that we had to help her, and give her a home. We agreed that if she was still there in the morning, we’d keep her. Karen called her mom the next morning to see if the dog was there, she wasnt, she was gone, as was the food and water. Assuming she had moved on, we gave up, until later that day, Karen’s mom called to say that she was back. We hopped in the car to get her. She didnt want to be approached or touched, when you’d get close, she’d fall on her back and pee on herself. She obviously had been severely abused, we’d find out later, just how much so. She had a cut on her nose, was infested with fleas and ticks, that were all picked off with tweezers by our son Shawn, and you could see every bone in her body. Her hair was so matted we had to shave her almost to the skin. My wife worked so well with her, to make her comfortable and assure her that she would be ok. When we got her into the vet, a few days later for her shots, the vet had noticed that she had 9 bb’s under her skin, running down her back, where someone had stood over her and shot her numerous times. The vet removed most of them, she still has one in her left leg, that would cause more trauma to remove than to leave, so we left it. As Sam got on a steady diet her weight ballooned from 48lbs to 130lbs in a short period of time, she was enjoying the good life. House breaking was rough and took a while, but again, my wife pulled it off and we got through it. In the end we got one of the most humble, loving, appreciative and loyal dogs one could ask for. She loves people, especially children, despite the damage a human had done to her. She let’s kids give her hugs and crawl all over her, and she appears to love it. When she found us, she was 9 months old, in October of 2014, she’ll be 11. Her weight is down to 60 lbs, she is the oldest and most active dog my wife and I have. Now she has 5 acres to watch over, a pond to swim in, a dog door to come and go as she pleases all the love and hugs anyone could ask for, and 5 other rescue dogs to call her dog family. My wife and I have used pet rescues in the past. Cincinnati Bell’s Pioneer Pets, Louis Legacy and the Cincinnati SPCA, but we never imagined finding the friend that we found in Sam. Pet rescue is very important to my wife and I, that’s why were more than happy to support Project Blue Collar!