When Lee Asher, a dog rescuer and the founder of The Asher House, arrived at Wild Rivers Animal Rescue, located in Oregon, he couldn’t have imagined that he would meet a dog who would have such a profound impact on his life.
A shelter staff member took Lee to Sammy’s kennel and the pup started smiling and wagging his tail, as if he felt that his life would finally change.
Lee was brokenhearted after he found out that Sammy was abused. The shelter staffer told him that the doggo was taken in by a high-kill shelter. He was in a pretty bad state and he had surgery.
Since he was constantly being overlooked for adoption, the sweet dog was set to be put down.
Luckily, Wild Rivers Animal Rescue took him under their care and saved his life.
Sammy Leaves The Shelter
Asher knew that he had to take him to his sanctuary and foster him. He tenderly kissed Sammy and promised that he would find him a great home.
As soon as they left the shelter, Asher wanted to spoil him and give him the best possible life.
At first, Sammy didn’t trust his foster dad, but Asher was convinced that he would end up gaining his trust.
Once they were in the car, Asher cuddled him, wishing to chase away all his fears and doubts.
He wanted to give him a surprise, and he took him to a dog bakery with pet supplies. Sammy was excited to pick some toys for the first time in his life.
After they left the store, Asher gave him a kiss and drove him home to Estacada, Oregon, to meet the entire pack. At the time, he had 9 dogs, and they accepted Sammy right away.
Showing Him The Beauty Of Life
Asher wanted to show the scared doggo how beautiful and exciting life can be.
“I wanted to show him an adventure while I had him. So our first stop was the beach. He absolutely loved it. It was beautiful.”
Sammy was running on the beach for the first time in his life. He was all smiles.
While blissfully running and feeling the sand under his paws, Sammy realized that he was free and that he would never be confined within the shelter walls again.
“It was like right after the beach he was a completely different dog. He let his guard down and he really started to trust me.”
Sammy showered his foster dad with kisses, wishing to thank him for giving him the chance to enjoy life to the fullest.
Asher took him hiking with the whole pack and Sammy couldn’t stop smelling and taking in the scents of nature. He was in awe and felt happy like never before.
Sammy Was Home All Along
Although Asher planned to find Sammy the perfect home where he would feel safe, he realized that Sammy was home all along. They built a strong bond and he couldn’t let him go.
“I just really wanted him to feel love, feel security, feel safe and by doing that he and I, we have built a really special bond. And he gets along with the pack so well, so this bond can’t be broken and I guess he’s been home this entire time because we’re gonna keep him,” said Asher.
Sammy became Asher’s son and his heart dog. The lovely dog felt loved for the first time in his life. His dad’s unconditional love and the bond with the pack at the sanctuary made him feel over the moon.
Although all dogs from his pack made Asher happy, Sammy was special. He made his dad laugh like nobody else.
When Asher brought Sammy home, he had heartworm. Asher took him to see the vet.
The pup was prescribed a heartworm treatment and he started getting shots. He became heartworm negative, but unfortunately, Sammy began having seizures.
Asher tried to make him feel better, and he kept taking him to the vets, hoping that his beloved Sammy would recover.
Sadly, in February of 2021, Sammy crossed the rainbow bridge in his dad’s loving arms. It was extremely hard for Asher to deal with the loss of his beloved son.
He will never forget Sammy. The adorable pup will always be immensely loved and cherished in the hearts of all the people who heard his story.
The time spent with his dad and his doggy siblings was the best time of his life. The sanctuary was the place where he found the happiness he searched for.