Sam: The Diary of a Sheepdog (Part 1)

Sam in the ornamental pond

No, dear readers. This story has nothing to do withDiary of a Sheepdog', the extremely popular TV series that the KRO broadcast between 1978 and 1980 and in which the monstres sacres of Dutch-language theatre, Ko van Dijk Jr. (Nicolaas Bonte alias 'Human') and Jo De Meyere (chaplain Erik Odekerke) verbally crossed swords. 

Sam, officially Samson, came to us when he was a puppy just under eight weeks old. He belonged to a litter of five of which only two survived the first few weeks. Him and his twin brother Cola. Their owner, Nut, had her hands full with the extremely lively pups and was only too happy when Lung Jan showed interest in them. Less than twenty-four hours later, we were stuck with Sam… Although, what is called being stuck… He was immediately part of our family. Just to be clear: the name Samson has nothing to do with the idiotically waving wool bale of überirritant Gert, but everything to do with his father Sam, who has been the loose house dog of Lung Jan's sister-in-law Sompis for almost ten years now. So he's just, genealogically speaking'the son of Sam', which in itself has nothing to do with the pet name that the crazy New York serial killer and pyromaniac David Berkowitz had invented for himself.

In the first weeks that he stayed with us, it was not immediately clear to which race Sam belonged. A ball of shaggy jet-black hair that is difficult to control with a brush and a pair of razor-sharp teeth on four very mobile legs and with an equally mobile tail, that was Sam in those days…. A bit of a 'naughty' according to Mrs. Lung Jan, but that is simply a characteristic of studious and stubborn pups, isn't it? And sometimes quite smelly too, because he turned out to have a – in the eyes of Lung Jan incomprehensible – preference for taking morning mud baths in a dead-end side arm of the Mun River. After such a therapeutic session, he emanated an odor that seemed to be a mix of a Herve cheese that had been left in the sun for too long and an extra stale fart…

Fortunately, Sam was not averse to a real bath, although the anti-flea shampoo, as far as they were concerned, was not really necessary. When we were just filling the tub, he would jump around yapping happily and once the tub was filled to the brim, he would jump right in with gusto and scoop it out at a murderous pace... He was simply unstoppable. .! This pronounced aquaphile behavior in combination with his, for a puppy quite strong physique and jet-black stiff hair, led Lung Jan to conclude that Newfoundland blood might flow through Sam's veins. Sam Sr. was a not immediately definable glorified street dog that had something Labrador-like and his mother was an even more difficult case because… completely bald… Only months later, when Lung Jan, in an unguarded moment, once sent a set of photos and some measurements to two befriended dog breeders and - had sent connoisseurs in far-off Flanders, the answer came almost immediately and unanimously, in this case the mailbox: Sam was a Catalan shepherd…

Puppie Sam gets a herbal bath from Fon

Catalan Sheepdogs are quite rare, especially in Thailand. Lung Jan is often asked by unknowing passers-by whether such a dog is not very hot with all that hair… No, because of his double coat he is perfectly suited for warmer climates. After all, it can also get quite hot in the rough mountains of Catalonia… In the warm season, Sam seeks solace on the cool tiles of the covered patio and when he really can't hold it anymore, he dives into the small ornamental pond, much to Lung Jan's frustration . The fact that Sammie is happy to kill a few decorative fish or runs off like a hare with a few tasty lotus flowers in his mouth only seems to increase the fun for him. Lung Jan has long since given up on chasing him because as a herding dog he is furious but also really fast….

Moreover, neatly in his sturdy running harness, he goes on an adventure with Lung Jan twice a day. Invariably, rain or shine, the newly constructed towpath next to the Mun River is visited. Nose to the wind, owner and animal enjoy the wide view, while high above them Montagu's Harriers and a lone osprey circle in search of prey in the calmly rippling water. During this walk, a stop is made on one of the stairs that lead to the moored fishing boats. While Lung Jan enjoys a strong Corona - deducing from Sam's looks more like a stink stick - Sam can swim in the Mun for fifteen minutes. Although swimming should be taken with a grain of salt because mister usually limits himself to lying down with his nose just above the water surface and cooling down and snapping at random lilies floating by.

Once upon a time, in the distant past, puppy Sam - intrigued by everything that moved - dared to bite at a small crab, but when it firmly grabbed the dog's nose with its claws, his desire to explore quickly cooled.... His favorite spot is about two kilometers downstream from the road bridge in Satuek over the Mun, just before the place where the river makes a first, wide bend. Over the years, a sandbank has formed there that protrudes into the river like a peninsula. This has now become Sam's private beach. A claim that is reinforced by the sign that Lung Jan put up there more than a year ago with the simple but clear text 'Sam's Island'… When they descend the steep bank wall, he is really unstoppable and he runs like crazy onto the sandbank to make extremely deep pits in the soft sand with his fanatically grinding front legs. Sometimes so deep that Lung suspects him of wanting to dig all the way home, to Catalonia….

Only when the sun begins to sink pink red over the Mun do Lung Jan and Sam return to their home, tired but satisfied job farang, because both owner and animal remain a bit Farang, far away in that corner of Isaan where they are both, each in their own way, happy….