Sam Rondeau

Hi I am Sam Rondeau, 12 years old, diabetic and only got one eye! But boy I still love life. I play with my ball, I go walking, I have 2 meals a day and I get to sleep loads!

What You Can Learn From Me, Sam, A Border Collie

By Sam Rondeau
Published 03/8/2008

David Zinger over at Slacker Manager recently posted about unusual and strange ways managers learn. Have a look at the post and see David in his socks, holding a broom and sharing his strange learning!

David’s post got me thinking, so I commented and replied to the post.

So I thought I would share and expand on my reply here and give you Sam’s view!

This is me aged 4

Hi, I’m Sam, I am 12 now, and you know what the best thing in life is? Playing with my ball. I just love it – fetching, catching, dropping – I just don’t know when to stop. Oh sometimes I can’t move the next day due to my aching muscles.

Just over a year ago, I began to feel rather unwell and subdued. I was also drinking loads and a few nights I wet my bed! So my owners did the normal thing and took me to the vets. I was poked and prodded but I didn’t mind, I just laid there. In fact, it was quite nice really, I smelt lots of new smells!

My parents faces looked really worried so I thought it must be serious. I was diagnosed as being diabetic. Didn’t know what that meant so trotted off home.

That night I didn’t get my bedtime treat. I thought that was a bit strange.

Next morning, I had some new strange food – it was nice so I ate it all up. Then my dad stuck a needle in me and I felt this really cold liquid inside me.

What were they doing to me – I thought I’d be a good boy and get a treat! I didn’t although I did get a big cuddle – that was nice.

This started to become a habit – strange food twice a day quickly followed by a needle in the neck and a cold feeling inside.

And I missed all the treats in-between meals.

After a couple of months, I noticed my eyes were not as good as they were. I could only see things when they were really close. Often my dad would throw the ball for me to catch and I would miss it – it would hit me on the nose. I used to be the best catcher in my town!

Then I woke up one day and it was just black – I couldn’t see a thing. That was scary. I just bumped into things, so I was off to a new vet. A special eye vet. It was miles and miles away – a long car journey.

We went to this new vet many times, I just got in the car and fell asleep – it was nice.

One time I was there, I had a really deep sleep, woke up and could see! I saw my mum and dad again. I could catch the ball, I could see what I was eating – not that it had changed in any way but it was nice to see if I had eaten it all.

So not only did I have needles poked in me twice a day, I had drops put in my eyes 6 times a day. But look, I could see and play and everything!

One thing I did notice though was that I was always hungry. I would look for food around the house – check the bins, look in the bedrooms, just for any crumbs of food.

One day I found a tennis ball. Now I love tennis balls – I was hungry, so I ate it. That made me really, really ill. Back to the vets we went. They didn’t know I had eaten a tennis ball, they just knew I was not very well. They couldn’t find anything wrong – so they shaved off all my hair on my belly and chest and some of my sides. I looked stupid. They then put this really cold thing on me that looked inside me and they kept me in the vets overnight. That was lonely.

This is me after I had just been shaved

Eventually the tennis ball passed through me and I was then fine.

Then you never guess what happened next. My left eye began to really hurt and back to the eye vets we went. It was really painful, that left eye, but I didn’t know how to tell them. Luckily, they took it out, but I can still see with my right eye.

This is me now with my owner, Andrew

Look close and you can see I only have one eye

So I have had a rather eventful year but that’s life isn’t it. You just deal with these things and get on with it. I’m still loved, get loads of cuddles, fed, played with, lots of sleep. It’s great!

This is what I have heard my owners say about me:

Sam has had to deal with a lot of change in the last year.

He has never moaned, never complained, never refused, never run away from the injections. All the vets comment they have never seen a dog so happy no matter how unwell he is!

Give Sam his ball and he is still a puppy at heart.

We have learned so much from him - over and above staying calm in a crisis - accept change: it happens to you; sometimes you can’t do much about it - but just carry on.

Spread The Word

7 Responses to "What You Can Learn From Me, Sam, A Border Collie"

Josh

said this on 08 Mar 2008 2:42:46 AM EST

Ah Sam. I love you. Give him a big cuddle from me.

(Reply to this comment)

Mel

said this on 08 Mar 2008 2:43:58 AM EST

What a handsome Sam

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Andrea

said this on 08 Mar 2008 2:45:54 AM EST

Sam, how have you done it? What is your secret for dealing with everything you've gone through.

Andrew, you could write a book on this!

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Andrew Rondeau

said this on 08 Mar 2008 2:48:03 AM EST

Thanks for all your comments.

Josh - I just cuddled Sam - for you!

Mel - thanks, lots of people say he is more handsome than me! And I guess they are right.

Andrea - I have often thought about creating a blog written by Sam. It would be really funny!

Thanks, again.

Andrew

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tracy

said this on 08 Mar 2008 8:43:54 AM EST

Sam, you are a star and obviously know how to focus on the positives in life. my Joseph sends you a stroke and a cuddle.

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David Zinger

said this on 08 Mar 2008 9:29:03 AM EST

You had to mention the socks. Okay sock it to me management. I wasn't sure about posting a video with a broom and socks but it was the best thing I could have done because it got Sam talking. You did okay too Andrew!

I am so glad you wrote this and Sam is an inspiration to us all. I can see my mantra for aches and pains now being: what would sam do?

Also made me think of Dr. Suess: Green Eggs and Ham: There are two characters: one named Sam-I-am, and a second who is unnamed. Sam is filled with energy and enthusiasm; his opposite number is morose and irritable. The plot revolves around Sam's efforts to get his friend to try "green eggs and ham". The friend refuses to taste the dish, and only wants to be left in peace. Sam goes through an assortment of locations (house, car, tree) and dining partners (fox, goat, mouse) trying to persuade his friend to eat, but without success.

The triumphant conclusion of Seuss's tale occurs when Sam's pal, standing in shallow water after a boat sinks, surrounded by various people and beasts, finally agrees to try the delicacy and pronounces it quite tasty. The instant turnaround in the nameless character's attitude is somewhat similar to that of the Grinch, whom Sam's friend physically resembles except in having floppy ears.

I think you have at least an inspirational e-book or pdf. I hope you write more sam. You could bark out 10 lessons for living or managment.

David, still in socks...no broom

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