Help Sam’s Lungs Heal
Donation protected
Sunday, December 10th
It is with great sadness that we announce Sam has crossed over the rainbow bridge and is no longer with us. Last Thursday, December 7th, we received a hopeful video of Sam walking around the ICU. He was off Oxygen. The vet told us that he would just need a few more days in the ICU to recover enough to return home. That was when we began the gofundme and asked for your help. The outpouring of love and hope from our community acted as a life-raft for our family. We built a recovery-cave for Sam in our living room; washed and repaired his toys; picked up the house and refilled his food stores.
Shortly thereafter we received a phone call and the vet told us that he had gone downhill and there was something else wrong with his lungs. We went to the vet where they explained they had put him back on pain medicine and 100% oxygen. The vet continued to up his pain medicine to keep him comfortable while they explained to us that he could go on a ventilator and perhaps begin to recover or we could say goodbye. We waited and in the afternoon with his condition continuing to deteriorate and increasing uncertainty surrounding his prognosis we decided to say goodbye. Mary and I laid with him while the doctor administered a solution to stop his heart.
Dogs have an incredible sense of smell and while he could not interact with us we knew that he could smell us and he knew that we were there with him in his last moments. Sam was so special to me. He came to me when I needed him and he was my spirit-guide. He helped me be brave and live my life. Dogs are so special to us because they are there for us in whatever capacity we need them to be. All they ask for is our love. I hope that Sam has crossed the rainbow bridge and he is enjoying romps in a beautiful green field. I hope he is not in any pain and that he knows that he can wait for me there until I get to see him again. When we meet again we will scruffle in beautiful soft green grass and we will be so happy to see each other again.
Thank you for your kindness, donations, and love during this incredibly difficult moment of our lives. We are sure that Sam was also grateful that you gave him a fighting chance to stay with us. We would like you to know some of our favorite things about him:
- Sam loved to eat gross things. He grew up on a trash pile in Puerto Rico and never quite lost his need to eat any type of food that came along. Even though it was gross it made us laugh so much whenever he would come up to us smelling like death.
- Sam was very aloof when it came to physical touch. That made it extra special when he trusted you enough to let you love all over him.
- Sam was always happy when we came home to him. He would wait at the window and look outside for our cars. We loved seeing his ears perk up and his paws on the window sill. We will always miss that silhouette.
- Sam always loved a good adventure. He helped us explore our new home with reckless abandon. We never would have seen so much of New Hampshire without him.
- Sam kept James safe in some of his loneliest times. We will forever be grateful for his loving companionship.
- Sam was one of the most beautiful dogs we ever met. Although he was disgusting and would eat literal trash he had soft fur, red, white, and auburn in color with crimped parts, curly parts, straight parts, and knotted parts. All silky and soft.
- Sam would look you directly in the eyes and let you know that he was there for you
- Sam treated bones like actual toys that you could throw around. He would toss cheese-sticks and bones in the air to the point that you thought he was going to shatter your most precious art objects with his gusto. This made us laugh.
- Sam did not trust most people. He even peed all over James’ cookbooks when Mary started hanging out too much. But he grew to love her and it was such a special gift that he gave her.
We have updated the total to reflect Sam's total vet bills. If you still wanted to give you may do so, although we do not expect it at all.
Please share any pictures and memories of Sam that you have. It will help us heal.
So much love to you all,
Mary, James, Sam, Henry, and Bean
Tuesday, December 5th
Sam the dog is very special. When I found him at the rescue center he put his paws up on his kennel and licked my hand. Later I learned that on his way from Puerto Rico he was stuck on the tarmac at JFK airport and he had chewed some of the door off his kennel and his leg was stuck halfway out. He was very mad. He won’t be caged ever, he’s an adventure dog. Just don’t ask him to take long car rides, he pants the whole way.
Last Saturday Sam was run over by a giant lifted black diesel truck. His whole body went under the front wheel. Mary and I watched the whole thing. The Truck sped away. They knew what they did. After going on forced oxygen for two days, the vet took him off and they let him walk around. He didn’t do so well. He has to go back on 100% forced oxygen to give his lungs more time to heal; they are very badly bruised. The vet says that he is strong, there is no fluid in his lungs and he can recover but he needs more time.
ICU vet care is quite expensive and Mary (my fiance) and I need your help. In this day and age nobody has much extra money to spare. I know that, but Sam needs your help.
Sam helped me move across the country, Sam helped me get out of bed when I was depressed and alone because he needed me to take care of him. He needs my help to save him now, and I need your help to save him. Any amount that you can spare is like the whole amount in my mind. Thank you for reading this.
Sam, James, and Mary
If you would rather donate directly to Port City Veterinary Referral in Portsmouth, NH please give them a call. Our account number with them is 767342 and our pup is Sam Albright.
Currently Port City has donated $1000 towards Sam's bills. We are using our savings and any lines of credit available to us. It is around $3,500 per day for Sam and we are at day four. If he makes it (which he seems to be on his way) he will have been at the vet for a total of 8 or more days.
Organizer and beneficiary
James Albright
Organizer
Newmarket, NH
Mary Anderson
Beneficiary