Sam, the Border Collie's story is a touching and funny one!  In 2009, when our Border Collie, Max, passed away suddenly, our Border girl, Gracie, went into deep depression.  I had no idea that dogs could grieve.  We tried exposing her to new surroundings (Home Depot and dog-friendly restauarants), lots of play time, and tons of love.  Nothing seemed to pull her out of it.  So we called Gracie's breeder and a new litter was expected soon.  When the pups were born, we went to the ranch and chose this red boy - he was named Simon, but we renamed him - SAM!   He earned some descriptive nicknames:  Wiggle Butt (his butt wiggled when he was happy), Red Dog, and Little Buddy.
     We couldn't keep away from him.  We drove the hour+ every weekend after he was born to visit, counting the days until he could come home with us.

     When the big day came to take Sam home, we decided to take Gracie with us.  We had taken her to the ranch twice, but she had to stay in the car.  We came back smelling of Sam and let her sniff, sniff, sniff; we hoped she'd get used to his smell.
     I held puppy Sam in a towel, got into the back seat with Gracie, and waited for her reaction.  It wasn't what I expected.  She situated herself as close to the door as possible and refused to even look in our direction for the entire trip home.  Stubborn girl and perhaps a bit jealous?

     Once home, things got a bit better.  Gracie tolerated Sam and learned to play with him, but never to the extent that she loved Max.  With Max, Gracie would snuggle up and sleep with him, play for hours, and follow him everywhere.  Sam had to work hard to win her over. but eventually they came to love each other.

     As Sam grew, it was clear he was as smart as a whip!  Something else clear was the length of his tongue.  To this day, I've never seen one so long!  

     Sam loved a pillow or soft cushion.  That boy made himself comfy all over the house; no place was sacred for humans only!   If there was a pillow, his head was on it.

     Sam pretended to be brave.  Since we lived on a corner lot, he was able to chase walkers, trucks, and cars along the length of our fence.  He barked, herded, and chased; he also maintained as guardian/bodyguard for the plants in the garden.  He was as brave as could be with those plants.  He took his job as Garden Guardian quite seriously. 
     Whenever a thunderstorm, hailstorm, or fireworks were around, his brave self faded into the background.  He wasn't as terrified as Gracie, but he came in a close second.  He frequently jumped on the bed and hid behind our pillows.  We discovered Thundershirts and his worked a bit.  Gracie's did not, but Sam was far more secure and relaxed with his Thundershirt on during storms and noisy holiday fireworks.  Later on, he developed a fear of small children laughing and screaming.  Sam's unique.

     As a teacher, I brought loads of work home with me.  I usually settled in on the sofa, listening to the TV and visiting with hubby while doing my teacher "homework."  Teacher stuff bored Gracie, but Sam thought it was ever so interesting.  He loved to snuggle up next to me and provide educational support!

    Mr. Touchy-Feely had to be touching his humans all the time.  In a pinch, we even made a good pillow!

     Our Border Collies loved our three acres out in the Texas Hill Country.  I did too - the wildflowers, the shady oaks, our fig and fruit trees, and the peaceful nights spent on the terrace.  Things change though...

     By 2013, we had decided to go to Uruguay.  There wasn't a doubt in our mind that Sam and Gracie would travel with us to South America.  We spend months agonizing over flying Sam and Gracie to Uruguay and finally found Pet Relocation, right there in Austin.  Sam and Grace flew to Uruguay a week before me, arrived safe and sound into Hubby's arms after two flights and a ferry ride.

     For quite a long time, we lived in a house one-fourth the size of our Texas home, yet having Sam and Gracie with everything cozy and complete.   Sam adjusted and took his usual place on the sofa.

     Sam and Gracie acclimated to Uruguay well, probably better than I.  There were new sights and sounds  (horses and sheep to herd), new roads, and lots of peace and quiet.

     Some things were familiar - the rain lilies we had in the Texas Hill Country were also in Uruguay.  Sam loved to run amongst them on both continents.

     As affectionate as Grace, but such a lover - Sam loved to snuggle and make physical contact whenever possible.  He always seemed to intuit when we were depressed and  needed a warm paw or nose kiss.  Some say that dogs are angels sent from above to aid us in our times of need.  Sam was truly an angel.

     Sam acquired a new job when our household added Sophie Cat.  She was little and he had never been around a cat, so we gave him a job - "Guard Sophie."   Being the compulsive boy, he carried this a bit too far and started snapping at Gracie if she came near Sophie.  When you have a smart Border Collie, changing commands are easy.  We switched the command to:  "Love Sophie."  Sam understood the difference and all was well.  He and Sophie became best friends.

     This is the pose we'll best remember for Sam:  flying through the grass and wildflowers, tongue out, eyes alert, and wishing for us to throw a stick!

     Sam was the best companion, the craziest boy, the most sympathetic friend, an uncompromising personality, an intelligent being, and a dedicated giver and receiver of hugs.