Sammi, From Runt to "Really"? update

by Scott
(Northern Ohio)

When the vet said she suspected Sammi could hit the 100+ pound mark, I was somewhat skeptical. After all, she was under-weight, and under-size at 7 weeks when she first came home... then, she started to grow as I described in my first posting.

Well, now at 6 months, Sammi is a slim, trim 65 pounds and still growing like a weed. At 24.5 inches tall, and about a mile long, she is the size of the average 12 month old female...and there's no end in sight!

Thank goodness we started training her from day one to be a canine good citizen! We had a professional trainer, certified in service dog training and evaluation, come and see what we had done so far. We wanted to know if our Sammi would be a good candidate for a therapy dog.

The news was outstanding! Not only was she impressed with how well trained, behaved, and well mannered 5 month old Sammi was, she told us Sammi's calm demeanor, friendly disposition, and soothing presence was perfect for a service dog candidate.

So, our soon-to-be pony sized pup has been going everywhere there are people and dogs, and practicing her bedside manner, and will be taking her test next May. Soon she will roaming the halls of our local hospitals, bringing peace to all with whom she comes in contact!

Sammi, from Runt to "Really?"

by Scott
(Northern Ohio)

Sammi was the sole survivor of of an accident that killed her mother and siblings, owned by an acquaintance of mine.

She was the runt of the litter, and was on her way to "the place where dogs don't come back from" because nobody seemed to want a scrawny little girl-dog. Her owner was too grief-stricken to keep a reminder of the tragedy he just lived through.

I took one look at her and I was hooked. I took her home and surprised my wife with her. She fell in love after the first puppy-breath kiss.

Sammi was 6 weeks old, and weighed in at a whopping 7 pounds. We started feeding her a large breed puppy food, mixed with TLC, of course, and watched her grow...and grow...and grow...and grow!

Now, she is 5 months old, narrow as a 2x4, but weighs in at over 52 pounds! According to the above growth chart, she is heavier than the average MALE GSD at 5 months!

Our vet has been amazed at her growth and vigor. she says Sammi could be well on her way to being a svelte 100 pounder!

So much for the runt thing!!!