Sam and Stanley Return to the 'Burgh

After spending last week with Winston, I was questioning the sanity of having a third dog whenever John and I upgrade to a house with a yard.  Coop and Pete just didn't take to Winston the way you would want.  They got along with no issues, but they didn't seem to bond very well.

But this week Sammy (John's oldest dog who lives with his parents now) and Stanley (another Riley family dog) returned to Pittsburgh from North Carolina for a visit.  Coop and Pete could not have been happier.   For Pete, it's just the return of half of his original pack.  Stanley and Sammy were part of Petey's pack before Coop was in the picture.   From the moment Cooper met Stanley though, Stan was part of Coop's pack.

Sam and Coop took a little more time to get acquainted, but rightfully so- Sam is 13 years old and isn't in to playing very much.  He's also the ultimate aloof alpha male dog.  If he doesn't want you in his stuff, he'll let you know.  But Coop and Sam have come to really like each other over the past year.  They are very similar in many ways and Coop has begun to pick up on some of Sammy's traits. 

For instance, Cooper, who never used to bark when he wanted things, is far more vocal these days.  Cooper is also more willing to spend the night out on the couch instead of in our bed when Sam is around.  The two boys also like to cuddle on the couch or bed together and do the lazy dog thing.

It's clear though, how much Sammy boy is beginning to age.  He is definitely going a little deaf.  Sometimes its selective and sometimes its not, but nonetheless, his hearing is starting to go.  He's also become quite the lumpy bumpy boy. 

When we stopped by last night to pick up a few things from John's parents, they told us that Sam had a pretty bad little spell.  He had tried to get up from his pillow the night before, but it was hurting his back leg and he couldn't move.  He was whimpering and immobile.  The next morning, Sam was able to walk, but he was still very stiff.  By the time we saw him, he was doing much better, but John was clearly worried, as was I. 

Today we'll be trying to get Sam dog into the vet's office to make sure that there isn't anything more wrong with him other than him just being the old boy.  It could just be stiffness and old boy syndrome, but better safe than sorry.  Besides, we'll give the vets office the chance to fawn over Sammy boy and then John and I can take him out to lunch at Point Bruegge on the deck for even more attention.