BackWoods Drifter

This is the continuation of a story about A Man and His Dog.
Click here to go to the beginning.

There is something to be said for self imposed isolation. It was exactly what I needed to cure a bad attitude. A dog helped me to learn that there are still some things worth caring about even when all seems lost.

After a year of being homeless, three months of that spent in the mountains, it was time to drag my sorry butt out of the pit I so willingly put myself in to begin with. I really believe Sam helped with my decision to move on. The reason for that is, by then Sam was close to a year old and didn’t know what home was. I thought that was unfair and selfish of me to continue to drag this good hearted little animal through my self imposed isolation. I used Sam as an excuse to finally admit to myself that ok maybe I do still care after all.

After a year, Sam and I had become the best of friends. Both of us endured the same hard times. We slept through the same storms in a tent. We walked the same miles through the mountains. Sam wasn’t my dog, she was my friend. I never had to put a collar on Sam or a leash or restrict her in any way. She chose to be my friend and was never more than fifteen or twenty feet away.

A quick story… I dug a lot of ginseng and ramps during that year to help feed Sam and myself. If I was in a patch of ramps or ginseng and not moving very fast Sam would take the opportunity to catch a quick nap. She would always lay in such a way that all she had to do was open her eyes to see me. If I moved out of her field of vision she would move closer and lay back down to nap. Sometimes I thought she slept with one eye open.

When I said in an earlier post that Sam was the perfect hiking partner, I meant that literally. There was no getting lost with Sam. I noticed real early in our adventure that no matter where we went or how far, Sam always followed the exact same path back to our point of origin. It’s the nose thing again. That’s not to say, though, that Sam wouldn’t be just as eager to explore if I ventured from our path, which I was apt to do from time to time. As long as I followed her, she stayed on our original path. I trusted her instincts and I really believe she knew it. On most occasions, our path was nothing more evident than a scent in Sam’s nose.

It was an interesting year, full of downfalls and natural highs. I’m here to tell you, it is not easy being homeless. You may escape from the worries and stress that sent you into exile to begin with but you will quickly learn that you are presented with a whole new set of worries and stress. At the end of three months in the mountains I saw no point in continuing to make life hard for Sam and myself. Sam had never had a home and after putting up with my ignorance for the better part of a year she sure deserved a place to call home. That was my motivation. Once I made the decision to improve our lifestyle, I was working in less than two weeks helping to build a home. Three days after my first paycheck Sam and I moved into the house I still live in today.

You might say that Sam was quite comfortable with the new living arrangements. Seeing her like this made me very happy with my decision. She deserved it…

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Next post… A Man and His Dog, A New Environment
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I wanted to add a quick note for those that will be unprepared for the ending. Sam is no longer with me. She went to doggie heaven a while back. I’m telling her story to honor her memory and just because I feel her story needs to be told. Sam was a very special animal and I will always choke up when I think of her. You’d probably be surprised how difficult it is to tell this story.

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Adding…
I can’t help but think how this story would make a good “ol yeller” type of movie. It would be a real tear jerker for sure.