Reunions are almost always sweet, and this one is no exception. Four years ago, this lovely beagle-Labrador mix was adopted from a litter dubbed “The Adams Family” and welcomed into her new home.
Her brothers and sisters were all adopted, too, and each was raised in a loving environment with people who valued them and loved them as family.
“Samo” was originally named “Pubert” after the Gomez’ baby boy. (Samo is a girl.)
Her adventures and antics with her friends are documented in this joyful video, from puppyhood to adult age.
Obviously, she loves her human family, and they love her equally. She is a well-adjusted, happy dog.
When Samo gets the chance to meet her siblings after four years, she fawns over them and greets them as though they never were separated. Their glee in seeing each other after so long is evident in their wagging tails and friendly advances toward each other.
But these dogs are the lucky ones. Each year in the United States, 3 million shelter dogs and cats are euthanized, mainly because there’s no room for them in the shelters. Most animals surrendered to shelters are there through no fault of their own. In most cases, the dogs are friendly, happy and used to living in a family. It’s normally a life change, like a move or a new baby, that causes humans to relinquish them.
When you adopt from a shelter, you’re making room for other animals who need to be adopted. Adopting a mature pet brings several additional advantages. You probably won’t have to housebreak him, and tasks such as spaying/neutering and microchipping are already done.
Conversely, buying a dog from a pet store, online, or at a flea market can mean supporting a multimillion-dollar industry that values profit over pets. Puppy mills are factory-style breeding facilities in which the mother dogs are kept in cages in deplorable conditions and bred year after year with no hope of change. The pups are sold in pet stores, by deceptive advertising online or at flea markets. Quite often, the animals are sick or have behavioral problems resulting from their environments or inbreeding. When the mother can no longer produce puppies, she’s abandoned, killed or sold at auction.
Samo’s story is a happy one. You can make your own happy video by providing a home for a shelter dog just waiting for you!