Sam the Man has arrived!

The new “boy on the block” has arrived and he’s all of 9 months old and GORGEOUS! He also likes coffee ... so much so that he pinched Keith’s ‘coffee-to-go’ BEFORE Keith finished drinking it!!
We might have taught him a new “bad habit” too soon.

Carol and I were doubled over with laughter  .... I don’t know how we managed to stay upright. There was this large golden Labrador gently picking up the ‘coffee-to-go’ by the lid and sneaking across the sand with it hoping we wouldn’t notice! We were laughing so hard it made it difficult retrieving the coffee from Sam ... by which time he’d spilled half of it on the sand! Carol dusted off the sand and hound drool from the lid and nonchalantly handed it back to Keith ... thank goodness he has a sense of humour and a hound of his own!!

Sam’s first foray onto the sand and ALREADY he’s made a name for himself!

He’s a character ... a big gentle giant ... who’ll lick you to death given half the chance. He had a whale of a time on the sand and in the waves with my hound this morning. He was amazingly well-behaved for it being his first outing with Carol. Whenever he chose to be deaf, I’d kick the rugby ball into the water for Chocolat and he’d come racing back to help her retrieve it.  He’s a water-loving, stick-fetching Labrador .... everything a Labrador should be .... and he couldn’t have come to a better home!

We’ve all had a good chuckle this morning .... laughing is good for the soul and the antics of the various hounds on the beach this morning created so much soul food. The sun’s shining, the tide’s out and the hounds have been in heaven.
Mornings like this are magical!

Nico ... the miniature Schnauzer

We’ve all in the past been accustomed to seeing Carol first, and then her hound .... Sebastian would always bring up the rear, walking along at his own pace. Even the cars slowed down for him when he crossed the road .... well .... MOST of them. It’s quite the reverse with Sam the Man. We get to see him first and then Carol flying along behind him. She’s only a slight thing so Sam definitely has the strength and weight advantage!

He got to meet several of the Labradors that make up the ‘Chocolat Express’ today.  Julia was taking Indy for his follow-up blood tests so they popped onto the beach to meet Sam, before heading off to the vet. Suzanne and Bella also joined us in the waves as did Keith and Bessie. At one point this morning we had all 3 Labradors, Chocolat, Bessie and Sam charging out of the water gripping the same stick in their mouths. Sam, typical Aussie, broke the stick! Sadly, I don’t have a photo of that as the camera chose to have one of it’s moments then.

I did manage to get some great pics of Bella, Vi and Wally’s Poodle and some more pics of Nico, Brian’s Miniature Schnauzer ... more canine celebrities  for my Hounds of St. Heliers range.

Bella, Vi and Wally's poodle

Sam wanted to go home with each and every new hound that he met and he particularly liked Coco Chanel ... the Bichon Frise! She WASN’T disinterested in him either and they made a cute picutre ... tiny little Coco and big Sam the Man ... another photo opportunity missed by a malfunctioning camera. Yep ... I think it’s time to make a decision about a new camera and get this one some TLC.

Love the reflection in Carol's glasses ... I've got a double!