Baby's all grown up.

This morning I realized that Sam is two years old. 

It's hard to believe that he looked like this when we got him. 

I'll be the first to admit that raising a guardian dog has had its ups and downs, but now that we're two years in I can say that for the most part it's very much been worth it. We have yet to lose anything to predators and hearing Sam's bark at night is reassuring (I worried before I got him that it might be annoying - but other LGD owners were right - you get used to the barking and it does give you peace of mind). I like visiting with him when I go out to the sheep, and he's a good reason to go out to them. He's very bonded to his sheep and, knock on wood, has not gotten into any trouble at all for a bit now. He's also very entertaining and definitely a conversation piece. While he doesn't live in the house with us, he is very much a part of the family. 

Happy Birthday Sam.