BETHEL ACRES, Okla. (KFOR) – A senior dog found in February waiting devotedly by the side of her deceased owner at his Oklahoma home died Wednesday.
Sam, a senior dog, had been the companion of a Pottawatomie County veteran for years. On Feb. 28, Sam’s owner was found dead and she was found right by his side.
“She had been trying to wake him up. Just trying to figure out what was going on,” said Maeghan Olsen, founder and director at 1 Day Ranch.
She was taken in by 1 Day Ranch.
“She just did not want to leave. We got her in the car. She cried the whole way home. Howling and just being overall not pleased,” Olsen said.
Organizers at 1 Day Ranch decided that Sam would live out the rest of her life with them.
Related: Dog found by owner's side after he died, dog then attends funeral
Sadly, that journey has come to an end.
"We expected her to leave us within days of her lifelong owner, Arthur’s, passing.... but she wasn’t ready for that yet," she shelter posted on Facebook. "279 days later... Sam was ready."
Officials at 1 Day Ranch said Sam died via humane euthanasia Dec. 4 at the approximate age of 21.
"Our hearts are hurting this evening... but we know that she is with her daddy Arthur again. We were never meant to have her for very long. We were not her whole story... we were her final chapter. We were her last stop, and her final great adventure, and boy what an adventure that was! Sam got to be a mother figure to some giant breed puppies, meet pigs, goats, horses, llamas, and chickens... eat cheeseburgers and fries whenever she wanted them, and literally 'rule the roost' (so to say) in the pack of 8 resident dogs here at 1DR," a post read.
Organizers say Sam was cremated and some of her ashes will be buried with her owner at his gravesite.
