Around the holidays 2016, we learned about a small, neglected dog found wandering a neighborhood in Southern California. Of course we offered to take him. This poor fellow was a mess. He was so matted and his hair was so long it was hard to tell which end was front and which was back. But before he came to Shamrock, a good Samaritan groomed him, so he looked much, much better. Noel, as we called him, got all checked out by the vet and the ophthalmologist, who gave us drops for his eyes and said he was pretty much blind. But that didn't stop him. He hung out with other dogs at our boarding facility and generally made everyone fall in love with him. When we posted pictures, Sarah -- who had adopted Shamrock dogs before -- joined the We Love Noel party and asked to adopt him. We know a great home when we see one, so off we went to meet Sarah in Sacramento (she is in Oregon, so we met sort of halfway). And off Noel went to his forever home in the Northwest. Unfortunately, he wound up losing both of his eyes, but since he was already blind, that really didn't affect him at all. Today he shares his home with several other dogs and his mom, who renamed him Sam Sam and absolutely adores him. He wants for nothing and is one happy boy.

Thank you, Sarah, for giving Sam Sam the love he deserved after a really crummy start.