The tag line of Generation Wags is LIVE IT! It was selected for the express purpose of hoping to inspire individuals to find a way that works for them to somehow advance animal advocacy. This can be for their own personal pet, by providing them with the training, care, and nurturing to keep them loved, happy and safe. Or, it can be to get involved as a volunteer or advocate in a multitude of ways to address the diverse and challenging needs related to animal advocacy.
This story is about a man who suddenly and quite unexpectedly fully embraced the concept of LIVE IT!
Read on and learn about how one small handicapped dog, near death, became the center of one man’s life catapulting into a world he would never have imagined.
An award-winning jewelry designer, Anthony Camargo was living in Thailand where life was good.
One day Anthony was jogging along the beach and noticed some puppies, seemingly abandoned … not an unusual sight in Thailand where dogs like this one were common. In fact, ownerless free-ranging dogs, commonly referred to as soi dogs (in Thai soi means “side-street”, “lane”, or “alley”), these dogs are sometimes rounded up and sold as meat in Vietnam and China.
Due to the huge population of these dogs, it is not uncommon for tourists to step in to provide food and care over the course of days that they can. Yet once that time is up, the dogs are often left on their own once again.
And so, over the course of the next few days the number of puppies diminished, until there was only one. It was at this point that Anthony felt compelled to stop and tend to this lonely soul. The dog was filthy and flea infested. Unable to use her hind legs she clearly had struggled to drag herself about. She appeared close to death. With no real plan of action other than to ACT, Anthony scooped up this pup and began a long journey to find veterinary assistance!
“Samed” working to drag herself on the sidewalk near the beach.
Anthony hired a speed boat to race him and this pup back to the mainland to get a car to then drive 3 hours to Bangkok to get her to a vet as there are no vets on the islands.
Once arriving at the vet which was no easy task, Anthony was astonished to be told to just “get rid of the dog” … it was of no use. This was a response that he simply could not accept, and so he took the dog home to give it at least one night of love and comfort with no real plan of action.
The next day Anthony became determined he would do all he could to give this puppy the best chance possible to survive. He named her Samed, after the island on which he found her, Koh Samed. Fortunately, Anthony’s team of jewelry design assistants quickly became his team to assist him in providing care for his newly adopted pet as he began to navigate uncharted waters of devoting his previous untethered life to a disabled dog.
Over the next 4 years Anthony and Samed developed their new life together. Then, in 2012, Samed traveled across the world with Anthony when he returned to the United States and began their next chapter together!
When Anthony returned to the States, he moved to Maryland where he knew he had to locate a place where he could now tend to the care of his new found pet Samed. This place needed to have a spot where he could have the outdoor space to assist Samed in the most basic of needs, taking her out to go potty … a not so simple task for a handicapped pet. In fact, in the snowy weather, Anthony creatively places tarp on the ground to provide a spot to accommodate Samed’s needs.
Every day is a commitment to care for Samed. A commitment that has required Anthony to make life decisions he never knew he would, or could necessarily make. Finding others to assist with Samed’s daily needs when Anthony has either work or other requirements to have more freedom of movement is not an easy commodity to find. Fortunately he does have a few people he has been able to rely on occasion. But the lion’s share of Samed’s care remains a daily responsibility for Anthony.
Just as a parent of a child with a disability, Anthony tends to Samed’s unique needs.
All photos and videos provided by Anthony!
Today, Anthony’s love and devotion to Samed remains unchallenged. At the same time, each and every day is in fact a challenge of the most basic needs.
We asked Anthony to reflect on his decision to adopt Samed and whether he would do it all again. He talks about it as a life lesson where he has learned to put her above all other things. The limitations in his own personal life he says has taught him 1000 fold about being receptive and responsive to life’s imperfections.
While it has restricted his daily routine, and even life relationships, he remains as committed as ever.
A DAY IN THE LIFE
Anthony’s daily routine includes the physical challenges of caring for a dog that has no use of her back legs and must be hand fed.
Anthony moves Samed’s legs around to keep her muscles going. He hand feeds her soft food. She doesn’t like to chew on bones, etc. so he resorts to what she will chew on. She occasionally has seizures which Anthony, along with his devoted vet, has learned to manage. As is true with many dogs from Thailand, her teeth are a bit weak, but she’s not a good candidate to have anesthesia to have them cleaned.
Samed Sunday Car Karaoke
Even in the worst of weather, Anthony must navigate taking her out to “do her business”, and incorporates car rides at least several times a week of get Samed out. While in the car Anthony has become famous among his friends and followers with his Samed Sunday Car Karaoke videos where he plays a range of music and serenades Samed who generally looks on lovingly and gives him a lick as her thank you!
The nicer weather affords Anthony with the opportunity to take Samed out in her “trolley” around various neighborhoods. Despite the trolley’s sign that notes “handicapped dog”, Anthony is often met with snide comments However, and Anthony greets each and every encounter with the opportunity to educate! Whenever confronted by someone chuckling or scolding about him pushing her around in her trolley, Anthony rises to the occasion to cheerfully tell Samed’s story.
“Samed effects people each and every day that I take her out and wheel her along in her trolley. her story is yes a wonderful story to share of her [past and its important but keeping in mind her story is the story that get others involved and gets children to interact , to ask questions. for people of all ages and backgrounds to commune together to become compassionate and caring. to look at a handicapped dog elicits an emotion in most that is heartfelt. and she and I together also get to change negative peoples reactions by confronting all those nay sayers who don’t believe she is actually handicapped. People who, in passing, look at us with disdain as they make an assumption that either I am just eccentric and crazy and or most negative responses are GOD is that dog spoiled or what.
I used to get upset with this behavior today we confront all negative situations with love and education and all every single time we do this and I do it to anyone who makes a verbal insult. I stop and ask them if they can see the handicap signs plastered all over her trolley and this breaks the ice for me to share her story and from this I have never had a negative response in most cases or in all case like that we get apologies and in most cases these people will tear up and some even cry and break down and we also get the wonderful experience of hearing the thousands of stories that we have heard of other humans rescued babies.
Sameds story is not just a fun oh that’s cute story, her story is ever evolving and impactful and I am proud that she chose me to be her voice and her guardian.”
While Samed doesn’t seem drawn to other dogs, she is taken with children. Anthony believes maybe because they are at her eye level as she travels about in her trolley. This seemingly natural attraction has resulted in Samed serving as a wonderful “teacher” of sorts for autistic children in certain settings
At age 9, Samed has long outlived her life expectancy, and remains the center of Anthony’s life. His devotion is unwavering. It has is not an easy life to maintain, yet, Anthony wouldn’t change a thing.
Many years have passed and miles traveled since Samed’s fate took a happy and life-changing turn.
While Anthony believes Samed might be a mix of Basenji and Jack Russell, he’ll tell you as do owners of other mixed breed rescues will tell you, that he embraces her for her unique qualities no matter what the breed! Pictured below is one of Samed’s parents.
While Samed may look the part of unassuming, Anthony believes that her background as a survivor has led her to actually be quite coy to get what she needs and wants! She loves her blueberry muffins at Starbucks and most of all being the apple of her dad’s eye for sure. Posts of her year-round being pampered and love is heart-warming. Below, Samed enjoying some final crumbs from her beloved muffin.
It is indeed poetic that what Anthony has done in nurturing one disabled dog into a beloved pet that is clearly adored is modeled in his outlook on his new jewelry line where he takes works to repurpose materials into elegant and useful works of art!
In Samed’s case, he took in an animal that others may have viewed as a “useless” or disposable and allowed her to blossom into a life-long companion who has returned the favor ten-fold by teaching him life lessons.
Samed’s “beginning” as a discarded Soi Dog was not ignored by Anthony. He did spend some time working to raise exposure for the desperate situation these dogs endure. Perhaps this story will also help to further some focus on their plight.
His life, as Samed’s has taken on changes through the years, moving from one jewelry line to a fitness coach while working to return to and launch his own new line. Throughout it all, they have traveled life together. And Anthony always has that smile on his face that gets ever wider when speaking about his beloved Samed.
Thank you Anthony for deciding to “Live It!” and in so doing demonstrating how much we can learn about ourselves through selfless acts.
Learn about the Soi Dog Foundation, which is working hard to confront the challenges of Soi Dogs!