Why I Should ALWAYS, ALWAYS Listen to Sam

So I was hoping to sleep in this morning after my super busy Sunday.  Things were going well.  I found a comfortable position, temperature was just right, ahhhhhhhhhh......  Bak, bak.  Not BARK, BARK, like "it's an emergency", but bak, bak like "I'm not sleeping and I'm not going back to sleep either."

Jeez Louise, Sam, can't I just sleep in?  How about a drink of water?  I bought myself about five more minutes of shut eye with that one.  Then, bak, bak...  Okay, FINE, Sam.  We'll go outside.  Now keep in mind, Sam really NEVER asks to go out in the morning, unless it's very important.  He is not frivolous with his requests.  I had put him off for a while because he was out pretty late for his last walk the night before and I could tell from his bark that going out was not "essential" if you know what I mean...

So, I get up, put my bathrobe on over my pajamas, carry Sam downstairs with Allie charging around my feet, chasing cats and running like a wild thing.  We get to the sunroom, open the door, on the deck - "Hmmm, it's REALLY warm out here.", help Sam walk across the yard, "Let's go to the woods this morning, Bud."  I settled Sam in the woods near the garage and headed back to the house - as the first drops began to fall.  By the time I reached the deck it was a steady rain, by the time I got into the house to get Allie and put on a coat with a hood it was raining BUCKETS.  Oh crap.  I get Allie and we head outside, she's not loving it.  Sam is completely drenched and looking quite pathetic.  I crouch over him as the thunder and lightning crash above us.  My attempt to keep him dry - HA - was in vain to say the least.  Allie fussed around in the woods, refusing to do her business and finally I called her in.  I couldn't hold her leash and help Sam, so Allie and I ran for the house.  After dropping Allie in the house, I went to collect my sponge, I mean dog.  By the time we all got back into the house, Sam looked like he'd swum a few miles, Allie was soaked and spiky from shaking it off, my coat was wet through and my pajamas and bathrobe were wet, too.

No sleeping in for me today.  If I had only listened to Sam instead of trying to buy a few more minutes of sleep we could have been back in the house when the storm started...  A side note, Sam was very afraid of thunderstorms for much of his life and would almost always warn me of their arrival by lying on my head in bed.  So, I know he knew this storm was coming and he tried to tell his stubborn old Mom, but did I listen??

Why I should ALWAYS, ALWAYS listen to Sam...  I'll try to remember...