Sammy McGarvey-Dempsey

Meet little Sammy McGarvey-Dempsey, who fit into his new family perfectly after they did their homework to find just the right pet for for themselves!

Paducah Bank’s Maurie McGarvey and her husband Joe Dempsey wanted to add a little WOW! to their home in the shape of a dog, but they wanted to do it right. They researched for five months (including talking to the experts at the Paducah Kennel Club) which breed would be the right one for them, and vice versa, finally deciding on a Yorkshire Terrier.

Knowing that Yorkies are notorious favorites of puppy mills, the couple searched for a reputable breeder.

“We talked with several breeders and found one who had a Yorkie who was in a precarious situation,” says Maurie. “This particular breeder showed Yorkies, so he naturally needed the best dogs in his arsenal. He had one dog who, at six months of age, had broken his leg in several places. After surgery to repair the dog’s leg, the breeder realized he would not be able to show this dog, so he was trying to decide what to do with him at the time we contacted him. By this point, the dog was 9 months old, and the breeder told us that if we would take him, he would give him to us for free.

Thankfully, we fell in love with the dog and he with us. It was fate that we met! On the way home from the breeder, we talked about what to name him.”

Maurie and Joe discovered that that each have a “Sam” in their families, so they decided to name him “Sammy.” All six pounds of him! Sammy is an unusual color for a Yorkie. Rather than the well-known brown and black, the little guy has more silver and white in his coat.

“His white head also makes him look a little older than his years (he’ll be three in June),” says Maurie, “so the traditional name fit him perfectly.”

During last winter’s ice storm, Sammy was one of the casualties.

“We were fortunate enough to have power after four days into the storm, so some friends and family who were without power were staying with us,” Maurie explains. “Sammy normally has a quiet, uninterrupted schedule, so all the people bustling around and the different routine had Sammy a bit confused. On the Sunday morning after the storm, he was on our bed, away from the activity. The door bell rang and Sammy became very excited to see who was at the door now! He flew off the bed (which is about three feet off the floor) onto the hard wood floor and *snap*! His front right leg broke cleanly in two! So we were on our way on the icy roads to the vet’s office for emergency surgery. The wonderful doctors at Ceglinski Animal Clinic made him good as new, but Sammy had to wear a doggie cast for six weeks. He was quite the trooper!”

(Maurie, on the other hand, has eyes full of tears just telling the story.)

So, did all that research pay off? Maurie positively glows when she says, “He is the smartest, best behaved dog. He never chews anything and he never ‘goes potty’ where he isn’t supposed to. He likes to sit on the back of a chair we have in front of a window and watch what is going on in the world. While we are at work he just plays with his toys (we find them in different places when we come home) and jumps, squeals and turns 100 circles when we walk in! He knows what we’re saying when we say, ‘Let’s go outside’ or ‘Do you want a treat’ or ‘Come snuggle on the couch.’  My favorite thing is to wake up each morning to find he has climbed up the little steps next to the bed and is curled up in the crook of my knees. He has the same sleepy ‘was that the alarm already?’ look on his face that I’m sure I do!

“Sammy has become a member of our family,” says Maurie. “In two years, we’ve only heard him bark a handful of times, and that’s been when he wants us to pick him up. Spoiled? Nyah. He’s always happy and just wants to be loved. And he loves us unconditionally, too!”

Rock on, little Sammy!

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