Life with Sam Dogger: Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Independence Day everyone! Today is also my late grandfather's birthday (he passed away in 1994 and would be 87 years old today), and it's also the day after my first Lab Bud passed away eight years ago. We always liked to think that Grandpa Frenchy got the hunting dog he always wanted for his birthday that year, although Bud was more of a goofball than a hunter, that's for sure. Still, it was a nice image to think of Frenchy trying to wrestle a drool-soaked pheasant out of Bud's mouth.

As we celebrate this year, we're tentatively optimistic about Sam's reaction to fireworks: he seemed cautiously interested in the neighbors' fireworks last night, and although he froze, his hackles never raised, and he didn't bark. Our old lab, Thor, was petrified of fireworks. One year we went downtown to watch the fireworks over the river, and when we came home Thor had ripped the siding from the garage and eaten through one of our gutters because the noise made him so nervous. I'll be home with Sam this year, so hopefully he won't be driven to property destruction.

That said, here are a couple photos of "Uncle Sam" to hopefully brighten your day:

Uncle Sam wants YOU to give him a milkbone!

Happy Independence Day!

And of course, as with any dogger photo shoot, there were outtakes galore. In the spirit of America('s Funniest Home Videos), I've decided to share those, as well. Enjoy!