Oh NIna!! I am so sorry for your loss. I remember reading about when you brought him home. I am so sad for you. You gave him a such wonderful life - as you do all of the furbabies that are lucky enough to go home with you. Sending hugs and prayers,

I am sooooo sorry for your loss. :( it's never easy losing them, be they old, young, with us many years or for an all too brief time.

May he rest in peace.

((Hugs)))

Oh, I'm so very sorry. You gave him some wonderful, loving months, Ninapearl. I remember how he put on needed weight with you. He must have felt better and been happier. So sorry.

Sad for you and well done. A hard thing.

I'm so sorry.

Oh Nina ... I am sooo very sorry for your loss. He had the best of life living with you and the rest of your menagerie.

I am sure your Samson deeply loved you and recognized your love and care for him.

So sorry for your loss!

thank you all so much! it is sadly strange not having my big goofball laying at my feet or fighting with him for just a tiny corner of the sofa or having him following me just sure i was gonna pick up the keys and take him for a ride. this was such a hard loss for me. :(

Nina, I can't remember when I've cried this hard. It is simply shocking to read that you have lost this precious boy and so unexpectedly! I'm so sorry for your loss and pain. I hope the fact that you gave him the best possible life brings you some measure of comfort. I can't believe he is gone. It seemed like his adventures were just beginning with you. Lots of hugs for you.

Let me add my sorrow too. I have followed your animal stories and love them (and you). You seem like the most loving pet owner ever. Owning pets means we can only do our best as caregivers and must at some point accept the inevitable. How I wish it were otherwise. My two beloved rescue cats are 18 now and I'm simply dreading what may come at any time. You gave Samson a beautiful and comforting life this year Nina. You did well.

I'm so sorry.

You were lucky to have had him, & he was lucky to have had you.

Take care.

My heart goes out to you Nina, you gave Samson more love in the short time you opened your heart and home to him than he had ever had. Because of your immense love for Samson, he is now running free at the Rainbow Bridge where he will wait for the day to greet you when you pass over. Thoughts and prayers over your loss of your beautiful boy.

My heart hurts so for you. Please know that you gave him a wonderful life. That was all he was thinking and that he loves you so much.

Such a tough, tough thing to do and you did it so well for your good, good boy. I am sitting here crying with you. He was so lucky.

I am so sorry to hear this. I'm just a lurker on this forum, and I followed Samson's progress avidly. He was always a special one. My greatest condolences, and may your memories always be sweet.

Nina....I am just a "lurker" also but I loved to see your posts about your Danes and your pigs:). You can often tell the character of someone by the way they treat animals and you certainly have some amazing character! Although your time with Samson was much too short... It was heaven for him......his only memories are of happiness with you and his friends. What more could you ask for him......he was happy and loved......you did good! I'm just so sorry that it has to hurt so bad for you. You will be in my thoughts in the coming days and months......Robin

I'm so sorry to hear about Samson, but you gave him a wonderful life. Another hole in your heart...but I suspect that there's another giant who needs your love waiting in the wings.

Oh Nina no! This is absolutely heartbreaking news and so hard to read. I'm so terribly terribly sorry, he's one we will all remember because your pictures and stories about him gave us each so much joy. He was so special.

all of these heartfelt comments are so humbling to see and so healing for my heart. thank you all, so so much!

the girls and i took a spur-of-the-moment road trip up to northern illinois to visit my bestie and her 3 danes. we all needed to get away from the sadness that had settled over our home like a big cloud. we had a wonderful 2 days, relaxing, emotional, just everything!

i have come to accept samson's short time with me by knowing that God ultimately had other plans for him and i was just the last stop on earth for him. He wanted samson to have the best of everything and He knew i would be just the one to give it to him. i dunno...maybe the tiny puppies who died too soon needed a big brother to sleep with or maybe the many, many children who have left this earth much too soon needed a friend. samson loved both, puppies and children. i cannot imagine a better snuggle buddy to have for eternity!

thanks again! i know that some day, another dane in need will find me. i will wait patiently. :)

Like 'anniesjacuzzi', I am a lurker here, spending my time on the Home Dec board as a rule. But I LOVE dogs, and recently had to say good-bye to my almost 14 year old tiny Brittany, Jenny, on 6/19. Her problem was heart, also, and very sudden.

I so enjoying reading your posts, as it's obvious that you adore your animal family members. I love to see them sitting/laying where ever they want, awash in thoughts of a happy home with much love, just like my dog kids. The next Dane who finds you will be a very lucky dog, indeed. My sincere sympathy to you and your girls.

for you, socks. :)

starting out our trip! these girls are such great travelers. once their initial excitement at going for a car ride subsides, they just lay down and sleep.

stopped at the cheeseburger window around lunchtime and took a quick potty break.

olivia getting acquainted with a friend who stopped over at courtney's house.

i don't have a picture of all 5 danes together, you're right, it's hard to get one because much of the time, a couple were outside, the rest inside, or they were just off in different parts of the house. but, here is my destiny with courtney's zed.

and this is destiny with courtney's buhl. buhl has the same heart condition that samson had. his was caught very early and meds are helping him greatly.

this is destiny with maudie. maudie is an amazing girl! she was part of a big seizure of neglected danes 2 years ago. she came to rescue a year old and under 50#. courtney adopted her and got her healthy and she is so soooo sweet!!! maudie and destiny were pretty much inseparable all weekend. <3

i am hoping to go back for a visit in the fall and stay a couple of extra days. :)

Nina, that visit just had to help your heart!!! That is a lot of Dane love right there. I love the pictures and find it funny how much they all look alike! Thanks for sharing those pictures. Your girls are just adorable and your friend's dogs are so cute too. Good for you! Congratulations.

murraysmom, it did help my heart and i really soaked up the love! each of these danes have such different personalities but they all get along as if they have lived together forever.

we stopped at a couple of those state rest stops on the way. unless i see other dogs out and about, i usually just carry leashes/collars. we always park in the trucker's area as we aren't as likely to see other dogs. at one point, a young couple called me over to their picnic table, they wanted to see the danes and ask questions as they had always admired the breed and considered getting one. they were amazed at how well behaved the girls were, something i have come to expect of all of my danes and have never been disappointed. they wanted to know if olivia and destiny were obedience trained or if i trained them myself. i told them it was pretty much an instinct for them. when danes bond with their person, their bond is unbreakable and they are so attached to their human, running away doesn't even enter their minds. this has been my experience with all of my danes. it was also a great opportunity to educate someone about reputable vs. back yard breeders. i told them about samson and showed pictures and explained he was the product of a byb and ultimately, although i wouldn't have traded a single moment i spent with him, having and losing him caused my heart to break.

glad you enjoyed the pics!!

Gosh, I didn't know that about Danes. I was wondering about the picture of them with no collars/leashes. That is amazing and wonderful, but also I wonder how they feel when they lose their home for any number of reasons if they bond that strongly. Must be hard for them. Thanks for the education. It makes the fact that you have welcomed quite a few into your home even more laudable. I know you love the breed, but I would guess they are a breed that gets given up more frequent. I know many, many years ago my niece got a Great Dane and when the dog was maybe a year old, she gave it up. I don't think many people really look into what a certain breed of dog requires in order to have a happy dog and by extension, happy owners. Some dogs really do have tough lives. But at least many others, like yours and mine, are treasured and loved.

Also, quite the collection of different styles of ears. LOL

Thank you for sharing the pictures. They are great! I really enjoyed seeing them. It was fun to share the dogs at the truck stop. Good for you, good for the other people. Destiny and Maudie are best friends. What a good road trip! Healing.

samson's urn arrived yesterday and i picked up his cremains today. i have been so sad all day, this makes it too final. miss my silly boy so much.

a friend dubbed samson the "cartoon dog" because of his face and his wonky ears. big ole jowls and his left eye kind of wandered. and he always, always had a big smile on his face. <3

Awww, that is just great! What a wonderful tribute.

I remember when Murray died and I had him cremated. The vet office called and said I "could come and pick up Murray". I did about a triple take hearing that. I have him in a big oriental ginger jar that I got at Home Goods. :)

it made me sad all over again. bringing cremains home and putting them away is just so final.

on a happier note, i found more pics of my trip. here we are, me with all 5 danes. i was quite the pied piper!

the big mantle boy is the one who has the same heart condition that samson died from. so far, he is doing ok but i do see many of the same symptoms and i don't think he will last much longer than another few months, if that.

Beautiful pictures and beautiful dogs. I'm sorry for the sick one. Very sad.

Ahhhh....what a wonderful setting, so peaceful and green. Beautiful, beautiful dogs! Thank you, Nina.

I am so sorry for your loss. At least Samson had the best home ever for a while, that's so much more than many other animals have. All of your 4-legged crew are very, very lucky to have you.

Oh Nina, knowing how much you adore your danies, I cry every time I read this thread, Thank you for sharing the pretty pics, what a lovely spot!

Nina, what a beautiful boy! How fortunate you were to have each other. Please find comfort knowing you will see him again at the Bridge!

thank you again, everybody! mark, samson was as goofy as he was beautiful. never a dull moment with that silly boy. i do, indeed, find comfort in knowing i will see him again along with all of my pups that are at the bridge. :)

Oh, nina...I haven't been on here for ages and I was shocked and saddened to see your post. I'm so sorry about Samson! I am holding you and the girls in my thoughts and prayers.

I'm glad that Samson landed with you for the time he had left on earth...you are the best Dane momma ever. <3