Last summer we lost our dear Airedale Desi because he ate everything he could get his (paws) on; whole. It finally did him in. We toyed with the idea of getting another Airedale all summer to keep Lucy (our first Airedale) company. I finally called Dorothy at the New Mexico Airedale Rescue and she said she had just received two Airedales and one was around the same age Desi would have been. We really wanted a puppy but our only resource for that was a puppy mill we didn't trust anymore. I also wasn't ready for the care of a puppy. Sammie came to the rescue from a senior citizen no longer able to care for her and she was horribly overweight. During her fostering with us, we learned that she had subluxation in the left hip. While this had to be painful, Sammie was stoic and the most obvious sign of pain was her quickness to fatigue on walks. We fell in love with her and decided to see her through her hip surgery with lots of help from all of you who donated to her surgery fund. Sammie has now lost about 30 pounds and is a lean, mean, playing machine. She would be a lap dog if her 73 pounds of love would allow her to be. She is very mellow and fun loving. She loves long hikes in the mountains and riding in the car with my husband, my two sons and me. I will never again want a puppy because Sammie has been a wonderful addition to our family.