An Introduction to me and my boy!

Hello and welcome to Scott's Dog Blog.  I am Scott and the handsome boy in the picture above is my boy Sam.  Sam (as far as we know!) is an 8yr old Labrador Collie cross although my wife and I are convinced he has some Staffordshire terrier in him as he has a bad temper with most other dogs and also his head is shaped slightly like a 'staffy'.
The reason for my inaccurate aging of Sam, is because he is a rescue dog who was found wondering the streets and handed in to an SSPCA facility by the local police and therefore they have no details on the dog but they thought he was 3 and we have had him almost 5 years (it is actually his birthday on the 12th March!).
My wife and I had put off getting a dog for quite a few years because we both work full-time although I work shifts and it wouldn't have been fair to any animal.  Eventually though, and due to the assistance of family members, we took the plunge.  Obviously a puppy was out of the question as the dog would really need to be immediately house trained and could be left for periods of time.  So we decided to rescue a dog from Bothwell Bridge, an SSPCA facility in Hamilton.  Now don't get me wrong before we go any further, these facilities do a wonderful job but the sight of 60 - 70 dogs all needing a new home, broke my heart!  Seeing these poor abandonded creatures in their own individual cages, really hit home to me how cruel some people can be.  Surely people should consider the long term future before committing to getting a pet?
The staff couldn't have been more helpful and allowed us to play with our chosen dog before we decided to take him.  They also stated he had been with them for 7 days and was therefore eligible for immediate re-housing.  Well I stared at my wife and we didn't need to say anything and before you know it we were on our way home with our dog in the back of our car!
The rest as they say is history.  Sam fitted in perfectly with my wife and I after some initial trepidation and has been a wonderful, affectionate, crazy addition to our whole family.  Everybody loves him hence his rather rotund appearance, is a joy to walk (as long as there are no other dogs about!) and he just loves being outside chasing a ball or the local bird life!
To sum up, I would recommend re-housing a stray dog every day of the week, but please ensure they don't end up back where they started!