04/30/2026
Happy Heavenly Birthday to Sampson🙏
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When Sampson (Smart Lady's Singleton Sam), my beloved English Setter, was allowed to peacefully go over the Rainbow Bridge on December 24, 2024, our household here in lovely Lexington, Massachusetts, lost much of its vibrance. But it regained some of that missing bird dog energy about 10 months after Sampson left this world when Gypsy (Sampson's maternal cousin) gave birth to puppies on September 11, 2025. Two of those precious pups, Lady and Olive, now 7 months old, have become a permanent part of our family and keep us on our toes every minute of every day. The Goofy Girls have brought us great joy and much laughter with their wrestle-mania antics in the yard and in the living room at all hours of the day and night. But despite a non-stop whirlwind of activity, our household will forever feel empty without the beautiful boy with the never-ending smile who brought such joy to our lives. Gypsy and I are still trying to adjust to life without Sampson, because he left such a deep paw print on our hearts. Gypsy is a busy mom, spending hours each day playing with Lady and Olive and teaching them how to point at and stalk birds the very same way Sampson taught her when she was a pup. She adores her pups, but soulmate Sampson remains foremost in her heart. Gypsy understands that the love of her life has passed, but she still deeply misses him. She finds comfort spending time joyfully watching the many videos of the two of them playing together. For me, Sampson's passing was like losing three dogs. His paternal great-aunt was my beloved Samantha, who passed in 2008, and was the impetus for The Hunt of Her Life book series. And many of you knew Sampson's precious mother, Lady, who passed in 2018 at age 14 after living nearly two years with a heart pacemaker. Sampson – the star of The Hunt of Her Life Sequel – kept their spirits alive in this world. Each time I gazed at him, I saw a part of Samantha and Lady come to life. He physically looked like them, pointed at birds in the same methodical manner, and played the same keep-away games with his toys. Sampson's bloodline continues to live on through Gypsy (Smart Gypsy Lady), who is the great-niece of Sampson's mother, Lady (Zippo Smart Lady), and Gypsy's children, Lady (Smart Gypsy Lady II) and Olive (Smart Lady Olive), who are the great-great nieces of Sampson's mother, Lady. The pups' relationship to Sampson runs even closer, because their father, Jack (Knightstown Jack), who belongs to our friend in Madison, Indiana, is Sampson's cousin on the paternal side. And Gypsy's third pup, a beautiful boy named Cooper, lives with my friend and Jack. These pups are cousins on both sides of Sampson's bloodline, making them truly special. I am thankful to God for blessing us with Sampson's special birth on April 30 (also my late mother's birthday) back in 2010 and giving us 14 years, 7 months and 24 days of wonderful memories with him. Sampson, my precious boy, "You are My Setter Sam. And I will love you dearly – more dearly than the spoken word can tell."
Read Sampson's obituary: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1155226923276354&set=a.636092745189777
Watch Sampson's touching farewell to his soulmate, Gypsy, in the video: Until death do us part: An English Setter duo's love story - https://www.facebook.com/thehuntofherlife/videos/2404792639863319
Watch Sampson in action in the fields at Lincoln Park in Lexington, Massachusetts: https://www.facebook.com/reel/872871409757323
