Sam

Zander was a delightful puppy and my show pick....then a PDA was discovered. He was neutered, and placed without an adoption fee...fundraising happened, and enough funds were raised through a fun match raffle and private donations for the surgery, which was successful.
This summer, on July 2, 2009, I removed him from the home for serious neglect. His teeth were coated heavily with tarter. He was seriously underweight and had no muscle mass to speak of - if he had become ill for any reason, I doubt he would have made it. Actually, I doubt he would have lived another month, he was so thin - his body was consuming his muscle to survive.
The first order of business was to de-worm immediately. The vet said a minimum of 6 weeks to put weight on, and to allow him as much good quality food as he could eat. He went back on the diet I feed, and his dish was always filled, morning and night, and more in between. It took two weeks before a gain was noted. It was 2 months before he had enough weight that I felt better about him.
The muscle is much slower to come back, there was so much deterioration.
With a new start on life, I felt he deserved a new call name: Sam.
And he likes his new name.
Now, late September, Sam is a happy, well-fed little dog, enjoying life and working to become a good canine citizen. He's practicing rally obedience, on the chance he resolves a major issue and can be in the competition ring:
That issue being lunging and barking at other dogs while being walked (thank you to everyone who is helping with this rehabilitation effort as we come across you on our walks); this is going to take quite a while to resolve this learned behavior - he was walked with another dog and was allowed to copy the other dog's behavior rather than being walked singly and alternative behavior trained. Resolving the lunging & barking at other dogs is a must: this is a behavior that could get him killed by another dog!
There are some other minor behavior issues we are working on, but the one mentioned above is the worst.
He's not very certain of small children (other than avoidance is better than petting by them at this time), and not certain of some adults.
Sam is watched carefully for any sign of illness. His teeth are getting better with regular brushing and lamb leg bones, which he loves. With his limited medical history, including a bout with HGE (Hemorrhagic GastroEnteritis), bloodwork is a necessity prior to any anesthesia.

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			"Where happy Butterflies work: Obedience, Rally Obedience & Therapy Dogs"

Sam is living with a wonderful semi-retired couple. He is doing very, very well in his new home and enjoying life.

He is an only dog, and has a lovely yard to romp in - he will chase balls endlessly, supervises gardening, and chases birds away. His every need is met, and then some.