“I had my heart set on a Basset Hound. But then we looked at this breed of dog I had never heard of, called a Rat Terrier. In that moment, I knew I was not going home with a Basset Hound. It ended up being one of the best decisions of my life.

“Samson came at a pivotal time. All my friends were dating somebody or getting married or having kids. While they were having these big life events, he was that thing in my life that I could be proud of. He was sort of my big life event.

“We kind of grew up together. I was in my early 20s, trying to find myself. He was my ride-or-die buddy. He went everywhere with me.

“It was a transitional time for me. I went to college in Alabama, then moved back to Texas, away from all my college friends. So he kind of filled that hole for me.

“As a puppy, he was really fun and goofy. As he got older, he developed this very serious personality. For a while, he was my registered emotional support animal. If I was having a panic attack or anxiety attack, he would sense it and come stand by me.

“When my husband and I got together, we were two pretty stupid young kids unprepared for marriage. We had a difficult time at the start. If we were arguing, Samson would come and stand between us. He would provide that wall of separation, that wall of peace. My husband would recognize it as, hey, we both need a moment here.

“We’ve been married 15 years, and we struggled with infertility. So, quite frankly, Samson was like my child. I babied him.

“It may sound crazy, and it probably is, but I found a lot of my identity through him. Not only did he help me grow up, he helped me get through some really difficult times in my life.

“A couple days before he passed, I had a going-away party for Sam. I wanted to give everybody a chance to love on him. It got very emotional.

“I have this hole in my heart now. Some people may not understand. They may think, oh, he’s just an animal, just a dog. But he was so much more than that to me. We had this connection that you couldn’t understand unless you experienced it.

“Even though I love all my other dogs, there will never be another Samson. He was that once-in-a-lifetime pet.”

— Trina Hattenstein

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“Her name is Tutti. Like Tutti Frutti. She’s a Chinese Crested/Jack-A-Poo mix. When she was very young, the people who had her stepped on her. They said the kids were real mean to her. So we ended up taking her.

“She has luxating patellas. Her back legs are out of place because of it. The vet said it would be $2,500 a leg to fix, but I didn’t have the money at the time. So she’s had to adapt.

“She couldn’t walk the first year of her life. She would take a few steps and fall over. I had to carry her everywhere. She’s 4 1/2 now. She only walks so many steps before getting tired. Then she kind of bunny hops. But she’s not in pain or anything. She’s a good, happy little girl. And she’s spoiled rotten. She’s like my baby. When my daughter went off to college, Tutti was like a mini-replacement.

“My daughter and I are very close. I was a single mom. It was always just me and her. Then I got my husband when she was 12. She’s about to turn 24. She graduated from Baylor University, and now she’s in Baylor Law School. She’s thinking about doing environmental or immigration law.

“She’s overcome a lot in life. She has Asperger’s. I didn’t know for sure until her first year in high school, when a counselor mentioned it. It’s been challenging, but she hasn’t let it stop her. She’s extremely smart. She made straight A’s all through school. She graduated high school with lots of honors. She was in honor society in high school and college.

“I’m very proud of her accomplishments. But I’m even more proud of how she’s grown as a person. She cares about others. She wants to help people. All I ever wanted was for her to be a good person and to be successful in life.

“I was a high school dropout. I left after ninth grade. Just getting in trouble with my friends. No support at home. No aspirations in life. When I was 21 and had my daughter, I was determined that she would have a better life and do better than I did.

“She’s the first love of my life. This baby here is second. My husband may not like to hear that. But my children are special to me.”

— Rhonda

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“I just moved into an apartment. Just got a new car. Just got this dog. It all happened in one month. It’s exciting. It’s the next step, the next chapter for me.

“The dog was kind of a surprise. But I had been planning the apartment and the car. I’ve been saving up. It’s me and my girlfriend in the apartment, so we put our money together.

“I work at Walmart. I’ve been there for four years. Now I’m just waiting to transfer to the distribution center.

“One day we plan to have a family. My goal is to keep saving so that my kids don’t have to struggle, so they can have a future.

“I don’t like the fact that some people have to struggle in life. I wouldn’t want my family to go through that. So I keep working hard and keep saving.”

— Yannick Matthew

Related:

• He doesn’t let dyslexia define him

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“I’m Mexican American. My parents are from Mexico, and I was the first one born here. I’ve always been working to help out the family. It’s mostly been in sales. But in my last position, I realized that I was not completely happy working for somebody else.

“On the side, I started doing some pet sitting. I love animals and I love to hustle. I’m always going to make money somehow. I just wanted my pet sitting business to become my hustle. So I decided to go for it.

“I began doing it full-time last July. I take care of people’s furbabies at my home. I check on them at the owners’ homes. And I do dog walking, too. I’ve also taken care of other animals, like little turtles and parakeets.

“It started slow, mainly because of COVID. People didn’t want anybody in their homes. They weren’t traveling much anyway, so they didn’t need my services. It got a little discouraging there for a while.

“Then a few months ago, things started picking up. People were ready to get back out there and go on vacation. So right now it’s going really well, and I love what I’m doing. I enjoy being my own boss, having that freedom to kind of make my own schedule. And I’m getting to be around animals all day, which is great.

“I just have this big old heart. I have a lot of compassion, even for the smallest of animals. I told my fiancé that if I could have all the dogs in the world, I would. But with the house we’re in right now, that’s probably not the best idea.”

— Natalie Salazar

Learn more about Natalie’s business, PawsFirst, @pawsfirstinbaytown on Facebook and Instagram.

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“Is she looking at me? Yes! Yes! I love the dog park. I can run, get muddy, fall in love. Is she still there? And the water has an interesting, complex flavor although I usually prefer a more oaky taste. Is that a good sound bite? Can I go?”
— Copper, an Australian Shepherd

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“When my humans watch TV, I pull this plushie in front of the screen and start humping it. They used to cheer me on: ‘Stop that! Freddie! Stop that!’ Now they mostly ignore me, but it still feels so good. Sometimes they forget to hide my plushie when other humans come to sit in the chairs, so that’s when I can get the cheering started again.”
— Freddie, a spayed female rat terrier mix, adopted from Baytown Animal Shelter

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“My human is a big Boston Red Sox fan, so he named me Fenway. But my friends call me The Green Monster.”
— Fenway

This 125-pound Great Dane loves to eat, at the tune of 60 pounds of food every 1-2 weeks.

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“Rainy days and Mondays always get me down. Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy.”
Do you always speak so lyrically?
“Express yourself, and let me be me.”
— Berny

This Dalmatian was a 4-week-old puppy with a bad case of heart worms when he was found during a summer trip to Mexico.

The post Lyrical Berny living his best life appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“When I grow up, I’m going to be a neurosurgeon.”
— Tara

This Miniature Schnauzer and certified therapy dog has logged countless visits to hospitals, schools, nursing homes and libraries as a volunteer with Faithful Paws.

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“Sometimes in life you get blindsided. But if you keep looking forward with your good eye, you may find your best friend.”
— Hershey

This chocolate Lab was dumped in the Cove area, before finding its forever home.

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