Couple Miss Canine Counselor

Samson is missing. And he’s more than just a runaway pooch to Yvette and Mike Rullman - he’s a counselor, of sorts.

When their baby died on the day he was born last January, the yellow Labrador seemed to know something was wrong, Yvette Rullman said Tuesday.

“When we lost our son, we poured everything into that dog,” she said. “It sounds kind of silly. But he basically saved us from a really deep depression … My husband woke up this morning and said, ‘My life is empty enough as it is.”’

The couple live on 23 acres north of Coeur d’Alene, off old Highway 95 between Ohio Match and Chilco roads. The 17-month-old dog has never run off before, Rullman said. It disappeared on Monday.

She checked with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department - “I’ve been driving them crazy, pretty much” - and was told that a dog matching Samson’s description was reported on the loose near Chilco Road and Highway 95 at 9 a.m. Monday.

The dog wears a green collar with Prairie Animal Hospital tags. Anyone with information is asked to call 752-4901.

, DataTimes