September 18, 2025 • 27 mins
Joining me for this episode is author, animal advocate and priest Willaim Miller. We discuss the re-release of his book, The Gospel According to Sam – 20th Anniversary Edition. We chat about the heroic moment his dog Sam was rescued from a fire by brave neighbors and the lessons learned from Sam along the way. Chalked full of animal stories, with five new stories added, The Gospel According to Sam – 20th Anniversary Edition is sure to touch everyone’s heart and soul. Have a listen to the stories and how William crafts his writing. Enjoy!
EPISODE NOTES: William Miller - The Gospel According to Sam - 20th Anniversary Edition
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EPISODE NOTES: William Miller - The Gospel According to Sam - 20th Anniversary Edition
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
His pet Life Radio Let's talk pets. Welcome to Animal.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Rights on pet Life Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
I'm so glad you're joining us today. We have a
super exciting show today. We have author, writer and priest.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
William Miller coming on the show.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
So I want to cut and something almost like three
guys walk into a bar or something like that.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
I don't know what it is, but we'll retalking to
Willie Miller a little bit about his book The Gospel.
According to Sam, it's the twentieth anniversary edition, so we
want to talk to him about a little bit about
that and how that all came about, and then.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
What we should expect with the new anniversary edition. And
then of course we'll chat with him a little bit
about writing and his writing styles and writing books and
writing articles all the wonderful things he does. So we
have a lot of fun today. Everybody, hangtight. Will come
back right after this commercial break. You're listening to Animal
Rights on pet Life Radio.
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Speaker 5 (01:37):
Let's talk bets on cetlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Welcome back to Animal Lights on pet Life Radio. Joining
me now is author, writer and priest William Miller.
Speaker 6 (01:50):
William you got to get you got to you got.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
To I was reading through your bio and I'm like, okay,
author writer, yeah as well, cool stuff, animal lover and
why have a good Yeah, that's great. And priest, well,
hold on exactly which one of these does not belong?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Taking a test?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Oh my god, flashbacks to my sat so no.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Well, welcome to this show. We appreciate very much.
Speaker 6 (02:15):
Thank you, Tim, thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Been looking forward to this absolutely and the leading We
have a lot to talk about, but we want to
talk mostly about the book The Gospel according to Sam,
the twentieth anniversary edition, So though it's a wildly popular
book when it was introduced, but some of the audience
may or may not know about it. And then let's
(02:38):
talk a little bit about the twentieth anniversary. I hate
saying twentieth anything because it makes me feel even older than.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
What I am.
Speaker 6 (02:46):
Sure, I get it, I get it.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
So tell us a little bit about the Gospel according
to Sam.
Speaker 6 (02:53):
Yeah. So, Sam Houston was my dog here in Texas,
and he lived in Austin and Houston, and he had
a really compelling story, as all dogs do, but Sam
was particularly compelling. When he was a puppy, he was
home alone in my ex's apartment and it was a
(03:17):
Sunday morning. There was a gas litek an explosion and
a fire in the apartment, and Sam was caught up
in the fire, and the flame swept over him and
burned him severely and threatened his life. And Sam, as
most dogs are, was pretty smart, and so he immediately
(03:39):
ran hid in a closet, burrowed under some clothes, and
started crying out for help. And because Sam was such
a loving, wonderful dog, everybody in the neighborhood knew him,
and of course they heard the explosion, they heard him whimpering,
and so the neighbors did something rather extraordinary. Rather than
run away from the day, they ran right toward the
(04:01):
danger and a couple of the guys next door kicked.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
In the door.
Speaker 6 (04:06):
One had a garden hose trying to put out part
of the fire. Another guy ran in, scooped Sam up
and carried him down the stairs to safety, and so
they literally saved Sam's life. And Sam was burned over
about seventy percent of his body. His ears were completely
(04:28):
burned off, and he was not an attractive site for
a while. But more importantly, we weren't sure that he
was even going to live. And he was in dog
Icu for a few days, and he got to come
home and the neighbors threw him a big, big get
(04:49):
well party and proclaimed him the mayor of their local
street there in Austin, and he was just surrounded by
so much love and care, and of course the popsicles
didn't hurt either, and he healed up and got cue again.
But he became known as the Fearless Earless Airdale, and
(05:14):
his story just really began to spread, and that became
the first story in a book that I imagined. And over time,
as Sam went through the seasons of his life and
I began to go through the seasons of my life,
I just began paying more attention to him, and as
I would travel, I'd pay attention to animals all over
(05:36):
the world and the kinds of things that I was
seeing and encountering. Whether it was a whale in Nova Scotia,
or a yak in Tibet, or a sea turtle in
Hawaii or a cow in Texas, it really didn't matter,
just paying attention to and enjoying and interacting with the
animal world. You know, there was so much to learn
(05:58):
and so many spiritual lessons that really began to sink in.
And so all of those stories came together to create
the Gospel according to Sam, which is good news that
whatever tragedy you might encounter in your own life, they're
going to be good neighbors there, hopefully to rescue you
(06:20):
and to walk with you and support you. And it
was just a great experience because over the course of
Sam's life, and he lived to be about twelve, everybody
knew who he was, they knew his story, and they
would call out to him from their front porches or
their cars or wherever he was, and wherever they were, look, honey,
(06:41):
there goes Sam, the fearless, airless Airdale. And so it's
been a real blessing and privilege to share his story.
And now hard to believe we're on the twentieth year
since the initial release, but the publisher was kind enough
to ask me to do some updates and write five
(07:01):
news stories based on some of the dogs that I
believe Sam has sent into my life over the years,
and so that's been a treat in the false sense
of that words as well. So we're just really looking
forward to releasing this book in early October near Saint
(07:22):
Francis Day, which is a particular meaning to Sam and
to me, And so it's been a blessing.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Very nice, very nice. Yeah, it amazes me when reading
through the book and listening to your comments.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
It seems like there are so many things that come
to my mind.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Yeah. First of all, we always love a good story.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
About an animal overcoming everything, and we know our animals
are our master teachers.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
We learned so much from them.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
But I love some of the comments that you made
was to me, correctly if I'm wrong here, it seemed like, yes,
you've always loved animals, and you love Sam to death
even before the accident happened. But then after it happened,
you would you say you had even a greater appreciation
and a greater in depth to really find out what
they're all about in animals of all sorts around the world.
Speaker 6 (08:09):
Absolutely, that experience with it, which I think a lot
of people would view as a negative experience, and certainly
it was no fun for Sam and very scary for me,
especially early on, but you know, it made me keenly
aware of the blessing of having a dog and also
(08:30):
the resilience of animals. I mean, the two guys who
rescued him but said that when he got to the
bottom of the stairs, and keep in mind, he's burned
over seventy percent of his body, he's got to be
in pain. They said that tale was just wagging off
the charts, you know, like, hey, I'm saved, I'm gonna
(08:50):
be okay, Thank you guys. And that became such a
powerful life lesson for me to pay attention to every
aspect of life and to really lean in and depend
on those you count on and those who love you back.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Absolutely, and keep your tail wagon. I think that's that's
the key behind it.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
I also love to comment you made about how Sam
has sent you other dogs your way. Expand on a
little bit more because I will say, you know, obviously
a very spiritual person. I've written many, you know, spiritual
type articles, and it's all about animals. So it doesn't
have a dog, a cat, or some sort of animal
in it.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I don't write it.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
That's but you know, I do believe the animals send
other animals back to you for life lessons, future teachings, healing,
whatever it may be, as their purpose for coming into
your life. I do believe those that have left us
in the past, made that transition, have sent the right
ones our way to help us continue our journey in life.
Speaker 6 (09:52):
I totally agree with you, and you know, there are
some who feel that, you know, animals lives as well
as human life are pretty much extinguished at the end
of our earthly sojourn. But I just don't believe that
there's something within an animal and within a human being
that you can sense, and you know, I would call
(10:14):
that a soul. Sam certainly had soul, and I just sets,
you know, his presence and really the presence of all
the critters that I've been able to love and experience
that unconditional love and loyalty and forgiveness and all the
spiritual things that animals seemed to grasp more readily and
(10:37):
sometimes more completely than we humans do. But it was
really funny. Sam was an Airdale. He was an Airdale terrier.
And when I was blessed to move to Hawaii for
ten years, and when I got to the island of Kawaii,
I had some friends back in Texas who created what
(10:57):
they called the Airdale Fund that I could find a
companion there on the island of Kawaii. And so I
went to the shelter and I went out back where
the big dogs were, and there was a sign on
one of the kennels that said Airdale. And so I'm,
you know, just overjoyed, and I'm thinking, you know, this
(11:20):
very regal looking dog, you know, who looks like Sam
except with ears, is going to come walking out.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Well, come to.
Speaker 6 (11:28):
Find out later, in Kawhai, any dog that has facial
hair is an Airdale. So this guy looked about as
much like an Airdale as I do, although some people
think there is a similarity. But he was black and
lanky and kind of goofy looking and had an ear
(11:48):
flopped on top of his head. But by that time
already loved him. I already loved him and when we
took him out, I was with a veterinarian friend of mine,
and all the shelter could tell us is that they
found him on the road again. He was just roaming
down the road and Kawhii and they picked him up,
and they think maybe he had been a hunting dog
(12:10):
who did not enjoy hunting. He was a lover rather
than a fighter. And so I named him a combination
of Hawaiian and Texan now Willie Willie Nelson, And so
he was my Kawhii ardale who did not look anything
like Sam, but exhibited a lot of the same loving
(12:32):
canine characteristics that just make such a difference in our lives.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Right, But did he look like Willie Nelson? That would
be a it's more.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Like Willie Nelson. Did he look like Sam? I will
say that I love it. I love it. I talk
about this all the time.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
I believe animals come into our life for a reason,
and you never really have to go out and look
for particular type of animal, or look for an animal
at all. When it's right, in perfect time, they present themselves.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
And I love the fact. You know, I understand. I'm
a former president of a humane society. So I understand
we get some dogs in that have a mixture of
things and we take, you know, the best, throw the
dark at what it is, and usually the names we
come up with, or you know, like you have eight dogs,
you find something that a collection of eight stones or gems,
and you call them all all stones or gyms. But
(13:21):
I do believe the sign was there for a purpose.
Though in Hawaii they sort of label, as you said,
facial hair dogs as airdales. That the sign led you
right to him. You know, it didn't matter, you know,
he could have been an Airdale. But I do believe
it was the right and perfect dog for you, and
that was your sign.
Speaker 6 (13:38):
He absolutely was I and I may have not even
noticed him had he not, you know, had the sign
airdale and that got all of our attention. But I
think you're so right. You know, animals find us and
they just show up in some way. It might be
through a friend or through a post that you see
on social media. But I do believe they to you
(14:00):
at the right time and in the right way. And
it doesn't mean that they are any more perfect than
we are as human beings. You know, they all come
with stories and some of those stories are challenging and
have impacted some of their behaviors, but they all come
with with some gift, something to teach us. And that
(14:21):
has been my experience. All eight of the dogs that
I've been blessed to know and love have taught me
valuable lessons.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
I love that, and I love the fact that you're
open to that. You know, I think I always say that,
you know, humans and animals, we all have a purpose.
There's a reason for us being here, and we should
find that purpose and try to fulfill it every single day.
But as you stated, you know, animals are really good
at that. They know their purpose. If we allow them
to fulfill it, they'll do it. Us humans, well, we
spend you know, years in deep thought figuring out why
(14:53):
we're here, in thousands of dollars in therapy to try
to figure it all out, where if we just slow
down and shut up, we'd probably find it right away,
follow our dogs lead.
Speaker 6 (15:01):
It's so true we overthink it instead of just being it,
you know, as dogs teach us so.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Well, absolutely absolutely, all right, Well, we're going to take
a quick commercial break.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
We'll come back and continue conversation. William Miller to talk
to him more about the book The.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Gospel according to Sam, the twentieth anniversary edition, and also
want to talk to him about writing in general. So everybody,
hang tight, we'll come back writing for this commercial break.
You're listening to Animal Rights on pet Live Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
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Speaker 3 (16:36):
Welcome back to Animal Lights on Petlight Radio. Enue our
conversation with author, writer, and animal lover and priest and
a man of many, many talents.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
And many worlds. Ease travel.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Of course we're talking about William Miller. Talked to him
about his book The Gospel according to Sam, the twentieth
anniversary edition.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
So you mentioned before the you know, in the first
segment that you talked a little bit about the edition
that's coming out, the twentieth anniversary edition, writing some new stories.
How did you decide which of those stories you should
come up with? What was your was a reflection point?
Had you already started writing some stories made for another
book something of this work? How did that come about?
Speaker 6 (17:15):
Yeah, Well, I did write some stories several years ago
about my experience with not Willie, Willie Nelson or Willie,
and that book was called The Last Hallelujah, and it
was the story of our life together and a number
of the dogs that had come into my life. And
so just picking up where Sam left off was really
(17:39):
a pretty natural thing, and so I started with the
story of the Hawaiian Airdale because he immediately followed Sam.
When I moved to this place, you know, forty five
hundred miles away, didn't know a soul, didn't have a friend,
and Willie appeared. And then over the years, as Sam,
(18:03):
I believe, would send these other dogs into my life,
I could just share some of the things that they
taught me, some of the things I learned from them.
And then recently when I moved back to Texas. When
I first moved back to this little town called round Top,
I lived on a We called it a ranch by
Texas standards, it's really not a ranch, but I took
(18:27):
a few liberties. We called it the Freebird Ranch, and
it was inhabited by the most beautiful multitude of winged
creatures you have ever seen. And you know, we wanted
to be good stewards of the of the land, and
so we would put out bird seed and bird bats,
(18:47):
and I began to appreciate the tiniest part of the
animal world that I think I had overlooked for a
long time. All of my dogs have been big guys,
and so you know, to see such beauty and such
wonder in these tiny winged creatures, that provided, you know,
(19:10):
a whole different level and kind of inspiration. And then
I also reflected back because this is just an interesting
Some might say coincidence, I would say, sarahendipity. But when
Sam was alive and I moved to Houston and Sam
was still living in Austin, the halfway point is about
(19:31):
twenty miles from where I'm sitting right now, and that
was the place where Sam and his little brother, Andrew
Jack Jackson were exchanged. And now here I am living
just a few minutes from that sacred spot, because it
(19:51):
really was a sacred spot when the animals are handed
off and you get to keep them for a short time.
And so one of the reflections is actually about meeting
at that halfway point and the significance of that, I
think in our culture, in our world and in our time,
where we want people to come to us and come
(20:13):
to our view rather than meeting them halfway. And so
that became the next to last story in the new edition,
and it's a story that really spoke powerfully to me
and I hope you know, to the readers. And then
the last story was really a little bit about my
own journey. I recently went through a breakup and I
(20:37):
found myself for the first time in my adult life
without a dog. And that's a very difficult place to be,
especially when you're in a difficult place already. And then
what do you know, A dog appears in my life.
And he is a dog who comes from the island
of Kawaii, and a friend of mine rescued him at
(21:02):
just the time that I was beginning to think about
how much I needed an animal, and he's going to
arrive here in Texas the end of the month, just
before we release the twentieth edition, twentieth anniversary edition. And
so that last story, which is called Lost Dog, Found Man,
(21:28):
is really kind of my own personal reflection on, you know,
being in my own difficult place and then this lost
dog who was found I think it's going to come
here and find me.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
I love it, love it, love the title.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
I'll look forward to that for sure. Thank you, Thank you.
Let's talk about them just writing in general.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Obviously been writing for quite a while and been Puttnam
multi published author.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
What is your craft?
Speaker 3 (21:53):
What would you call your craft? I mean, I guess
I should phrase it. Are you a pitch it over
the fence type of person?
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Are you?
Speaker 3 (22:00):
You are writing in journals all the time? Once you
get a book deal, are you five thousand words a day?
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Do or die?
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Or like me, I've got.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
One week left and I got to get the same
out the door.
Speaker 6 (22:11):
Yeah, deathlines are helpful, I think you know. So as
a minister, I'm writing every week because I'm writing a
sermon or a meditation or a reflection, and so I'm
in the practice of writing, but I'm not necessarily in
the practice of writing a book. And sometimes that's challenging
(22:33):
in my life because I have a full time job
and a lot of creative energy goes into my vocation
as a minister, And so what I have to do
is carve out chunks of time in my schedule where
I can really get into a writing routine. I'm an
early bird and so I really I love to go
(22:57):
away for a couple of weeks at a time, and
I do journal and I am, you know, writing writing
down stories and thinking about the world as I experience
it daily. And you know what those moments are trying
to teach me or what spiritual lesson they're imparting for
me or my congregation, and so I have the material,
(23:21):
but then taking those spaces, whether it's being a part
and then having that time off in a way. And
I just try to get into a routine where I'm
writing every day, and I love to get up early.
I love to reflect and read a bit, and then
I try to write most of the day until about
(23:43):
three o'clock in the afternoon, and then I shut off
my computer or close my tablet, whatever it is, and
I go get out in nature and just take a
walk or go for you know, a trip on a
kayak or whatever it is where I'm outside and just
my mind can can declutter a bit. But it really
(24:03):
is about I think, discipline and routine for me and
just carving out that space and time.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Well there's you know there. I always say, there's no
right or wrong answer. You know, it's just a matter
of yeah, you know, spend that time to the quiet
is a big part of it. I call meditation. Anything
allows your conscious mind to shut off, allows your subconscious
to open up. So you know, spending time.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
In nature is a great way to do it.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Kayaking, these type of things wonderful, but there's no right
or wrong answer. I guess the only wrong answer is
you know, if you're not getting your word out in
some fashion, then you know you're not sharing with others.
So you know, get it out there, whatever it may be,
and it will help you out as well as others.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
Yes, and I think it's important, you know, to be
consistently paying attention. And I find that having you know,
a little journal with me or you know, I can
even use my phone these days with technology, but just
to write down that moment and that exp pos in
that encounter before it's lost, and then go back and
(25:06):
look at those and mind them and see how they
speak to you, you know, in a different time, in
a different way.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Love it, Love it perfect well, everybody, keep your eye out,
get your orders in.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Everybody.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Go pick up a copy of the Gospel Accord into
Sam and then pick up the twentieth anniversary copy, so
you have a duel set on your book case.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
It will be great shape. William tell us a little
bit about where.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
People can find out more about you, see what's going
on track, what's happening within your world or with the book.
Speaker 6 (25:32):
Yeah, thank you, So I'm on social media. William Miller,
author and Sam has his own page called The Gospel
according to Sam, and I'm on Instagram Cahunapadre one. And
then I have a website that will be relaunched very soon.
It's called fatherbill dot net and that has all the
(25:56):
books that I've written, meditations that I've written, where I'll
be speaking, and different book events or concerts or all
the things that I'm involved in.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Nice we'll look forward to that for sure, all right,
So everybody pick up a copy of the book, it's
The Gospel according to Sam, the twentieth anniversary edition, and
pick up all the other wonderful works that William Miller
has done. And we'll be doing so. Bill, thanks for
coming on the show. We really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
I'm excited to see the copy of the book and
look forward to hearing more stories and seeing what what
else Sam sends your way.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
You never know.
Speaker 6 (26:33):
And thank you so much. Tim. Thank you for all
you do.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
You're welcome, You're welcome. Well, we're coming to the end
of the show today.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I want to thank everyone for listening to Animal Rights.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
On pet Life Radio.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
I want to thank the producers and sponsors for making
the show possible. I've got questions ideas or comments for
the show.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
You can go to pet Life Radio.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Dot com and we'll answer your questions, entertain your comments,
and bring on the people you want to hear from
most And while you're there, check out all the other
workfol shows host. It's a cornucopia barking fun that's a Petlife.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
Radio dot com. So until next time, we write a
great story about the animals in your life, and who knows,
you may be the next guest on animal rights of
pet Life Radio.
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Have a great day.
Speaker 5 (27:15):
Let's talk pets every week on demand only on Petlife
Radio dot com.
His pet Life Radio Let's talk pets. Welcome to Animal.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Rights on pet Life Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
I'm so glad you're joining us today. We have a
super exciting show today. We have author, writer and priest.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
William Miller coming on the show.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
So I want to cut and something almost like three
guys walk into a bar or something like that.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
I don't know what it is, but we'll retalking to
Willie Miller a little bit about his book The Gospel.
According to Sam, it's the twentieth anniversary edition, so we
want to talk to him about a little bit about
that and how that all came about, and then.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
What we should expect with the new anniversary edition. And
then of course we'll chat with him a little bit
about writing and his writing styles and writing books and
writing articles all the wonderful things he does. So we
have a lot of fun today. Everybody, hangtight. Will come
back right after this commercial break. You're listening to Animal
Rights on pet Life Radio.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
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Speaker 5 (01:37):
Let's talk bets on cetlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Welcome back to Animal Lights on pet Life Radio. Joining
me now is author, writer and priest William Miller.
Speaker 6 (01:50):
William you got to get you got to you got.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
To I was reading through your bio and I'm like, okay,
author writer, yeah as well, cool stuff, animal lover and
why have a good Yeah, that's great. And priest, well,
hold on exactly which one of these does not belong?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Taking a test?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Oh my god, flashbacks to my sat so no.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Well, welcome to this show. We appreciate very much.
Speaker 6 (02:15):
Thank you, Tim, thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Been looking forward to this absolutely and the leading We
have a lot to talk about, but we want to
talk mostly about the book The Gospel according to Sam,
the twentieth anniversary edition, So though it's a wildly popular
book when it was introduced, but some of the audience
may or may not know about it. And then let's
(02:38):
talk a little bit about the twentieth anniversary. I hate
saying twentieth anything because it makes me feel even older than.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
What I am.
Speaker 6 (02:46):
Sure, I get it, I get it.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
So tell us a little bit about the Gospel according
to Sam.
Speaker 6 (02:53):
Yeah. So, Sam Houston was my dog here in Texas,
and he lived in Austin and Houston, and he had
a really compelling story, as all dogs do, but Sam
was particularly compelling. When he was a puppy, he was
home alone in my ex's apartment and it was a
(03:17):
Sunday morning. There was a gas litek an explosion and
a fire in the apartment, and Sam was caught up
in the fire, and the flame swept over him and
burned him severely and threatened his life. And Sam, as
most dogs are, was pretty smart, and so he immediately
(03:39):
ran hid in a closet, burrowed under some clothes, and
started crying out for help. And because Sam was such
a loving, wonderful dog, everybody in the neighborhood knew him,
and of course they heard the explosion, they heard him whimpering,
and so the neighbors did something rather extraordinary. Rather than
run away from the day, they ran right toward the
(04:01):
danger and a couple of the guys next door kicked.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
In the door.
Speaker 6 (04:06):
One had a garden hose trying to put out part
of the fire. Another guy ran in, scooped Sam up
and carried him down the stairs to safety, and so
they literally saved Sam's life. And Sam was burned over
about seventy percent of his body. His ears were completely
(04:28):
burned off, and he was not an attractive site for
a while. But more importantly, we weren't sure that he
was even going to live. And he was in dog
Icu for a few days, and he got to come
home and the neighbors threw him a big, big get
(04:49):
well party and proclaimed him the mayor of their local
street there in Austin, and he was just surrounded by
so much love and care, and of course the popsicles
didn't hurt either, and he healed up and got cue again.
But he became known as the Fearless Earless Airdale, and
(05:14):
his story just really began to spread, and that became
the first story in a book that I imagined. And over time,
as Sam went through the seasons of his life and
I began to go through the seasons of my life,
I just began paying more attention to him, and as
I would travel, I'd pay attention to animals all over
(05:36):
the world and the kinds of things that I was
seeing and encountering. Whether it was a whale in Nova Scotia,
or a yak in Tibet, or a sea turtle in
Hawaii or a cow in Texas, it really didn't matter,
just paying attention to and enjoying and interacting with the
animal world. You know, there was so much to learn
(05:58):
and so many spiritual lessons that really began to sink in.
And so all of those stories came together to create
the Gospel according to Sam, which is good news that
whatever tragedy you might encounter in your own life, they're
going to be good neighbors there, hopefully to rescue you
(06:20):
and to walk with you and support you. And it
was just a great experience because over the course of
Sam's life, and he lived to be about twelve, everybody
knew who he was, they knew his story, and they
would call out to him from their front porches or
their cars or wherever he was, and wherever they were, look, honey,
(06:41):
there goes Sam, the fearless, airless Airdale. And so it's
been a real blessing and privilege to share his story.
And now hard to believe we're on the twentieth year
since the initial release, but the publisher was kind enough
to ask me to do some updates and write five
(07:01):
news stories based on some of the dogs that I
believe Sam has sent into my life over the years,
and so that's been a treat in the false sense
of that words as well. So we're just really looking
forward to releasing this book in early October near Saint
(07:22):
Francis Day, which is a particular meaning to Sam and
to me, And so it's been a blessing.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Very nice, very nice. Yeah, it amazes me when reading
through the book and listening to your comments.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
It seems like there are so many things that come
to my mind.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Yeah. First of all, we always love a good story.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
About an animal overcoming everything, and we know our animals
are our master teachers.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
We learned so much from them.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
But I love some of the comments that you made
was to me, correctly if I'm wrong here, it seemed like, yes,
you've always loved animals, and you love Sam to death
even before the accident happened. But then after it happened,
you would you say you had even a greater appreciation
and a greater in depth to really find out what
they're all about in animals of all sorts around the world.
Speaker 6 (08:09):
Absolutely, that experience with it, which I think a lot
of people would view as a negative experience, and certainly
it was no fun for Sam and very scary for me,
especially early on, but you know, it made me keenly
aware of the blessing of having a dog and also
(08:30):
the resilience of animals. I mean, the two guys who
rescued him but said that when he got to the
bottom of the stairs, and keep in mind, he's burned
over seventy percent of his body, he's got to be
in pain. They said that tale was just wagging off
the charts, you know, like, hey, I'm saved, I'm gonna
(08:50):
be okay, Thank you guys. And that became such a
powerful life lesson for me to pay attention to every
aspect of life and to really lean in and depend
on those you count on and those who love you back.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Absolutely, and keep your tail wagon. I think that's that's
the key behind it.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
I also love to comment you made about how Sam
has sent you other dogs your way. Expand on a
little bit more because I will say, you know, obviously
a very spiritual person. I've written many, you know, spiritual
type articles, and it's all about animals. So it doesn't
have a dog, a cat, or some sort of animal
in it.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I don't write it.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
That's but you know, I do believe the animals send
other animals back to you for life lessons, future teachings, healing,
whatever it may be, as their purpose for coming into
your life. I do believe those that have left us
in the past, made that transition, have sent the right
ones our way to help us continue our journey in life.
Speaker 6 (09:52):
I totally agree with you, and you know, there are
some who feel that, you know, animals lives as well
as human life are pretty much extinguished at the end
of our earthly sojourn. But I just don't believe that
there's something within an animal and within a human being
that you can sense, and you know, I would call
(10:14):
that a soul. Sam certainly had soul, and I just sets,
you know, his presence and really the presence of all
the critters that I've been able to love and experience
that unconditional love and loyalty and forgiveness and all the
spiritual things that animals seemed to grasp more readily and
(10:37):
sometimes more completely than we humans do. But it was
really funny. Sam was an Airdale. He was an Airdale terrier.
And when I was blessed to move to Hawaii for
ten years, and when I got to the island of Kawaii,
I had some friends back in Texas who created what
(10:57):
they called the Airdale Fund that I could find a
companion there on the island of Kawaii. And so I
went to the shelter and I went out back where
the big dogs were, and there was a sign on
one of the kennels that said Airdale. And so I'm,
you know, just overjoyed, and I'm thinking, you know, this
(11:20):
very regal looking dog, you know, who looks like Sam
except with ears, is going to come walking out.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Well, come to.
Speaker 6 (11:28):
Find out later, in Kawhai, any dog that has facial
hair is an Airdale. So this guy looked about as
much like an Airdale as I do, although some people
think there is a similarity. But he was black and
lanky and kind of goofy looking and had an ear
(11:48):
flopped on top of his head. But by that time
already loved him. I already loved him and when we
took him out, I was with a veterinarian friend of mine,
and all the shelter could tell us is that they
found him on the road again. He was just roaming
down the road and Kawhii and they picked him up,
and they think maybe he had been a hunting dog
(12:10):
who did not enjoy hunting. He was a lover rather
than a fighter. And so I named him a combination
of Hawaiian and Texan now Willie Willie Nelson, And so
he was my Kawhii ardale who did not look anything
like Sam, but exhibited a lot of the same loving
(12:32):
canine characteristics that just make such a difference in our lives.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Right, But did he look like Willie Nelson? That would
be a it's more.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Like Willie Nelson. Did he look like Sam? I will
say that I love it. I love it. I talk
about this all the time.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
I believe animals come into our life for a reason,
and you never really have to go out and look
for particular type of animal, or look for an animal
at all. When it's right, in perfect time, they present themselves.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
And I love the fact. You know, I understand. I'm
a former president of a humane society. So I understand
we get some dogs in that have a mixture of
things and we take, you know, the best, throw the
dark at what it is, and usually the names we
come up with, or you know, like you have eight dogs,
you find something that a collection of eight stones or gems,
and you call them all all stones or gyms. But
(13:21):
I do believe the sign was there for a purpose.
Though in Hawaii they sort of label, as you said,
facial hair dogs as airdales. That the sign led you
right to him. You know, it didn't matter, you know,
he could have been an Airdale. But I do believe
it was the right and perfect dog for you, and
that was your sign.
Speaker 6 (13:38):
He absolutely was I and I may have not even
noticed him had he not, you know, had the sign
airdale and that got all of our attention. But I
think you're so right. You know, animals find us and
they just show up in some way. It might be
through a friend or through a post that you see
on social media. But I do believe they to you
(14:00):
at the right time and in the right way. And
it doesn't mean that they are any more perfect than
we are as human beings. You know, they all come
with stories and some of those stories are challenging and
have impacted some of their behaviors, but they all come
with with some gift, something to teach us. And that
(14:21):
has been my experience. All eight of the dogs that
I've been blessed to know and love have taught me
valuable lessons.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
I love that, and I love the fact that you're
open to that. You know, I think I always say that,
you know, humans and animals, we all have a purpose.
There's a reason for us being here, and we should
find that purpose and try to fulfill it every single day.
But as you stated, you know, animals are really good
at that. They know their purpose. If we allow them
to fulfill it, they'll do it. Us humans, well, we
spend you know, years in deep thought figuring out why
(14:53):
we're here, in thousands of dollars in therapy to try
to figure it all out, where if we just slow
down and shut up, we'd probably find it right away,
follow our dogs lead.
Speaker 6 (15:01):
It's so true we overthink it instead of just being it,
you know, as dogs teach us so.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Well, absolutely absolutely, all right, Well, we're going to take
a quick commercial break.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
We'll come back and continue conversation. William Miller to talk
to him more about the book The.
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Gospel according to Sam, the twentieth anniversary edition, and also
want to talk to him about writing in general. So everybody,
hang tight, we'll come back writing for this commercial break.
You're listening to Animal Rights on pet Live Radio.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Hi, this is Tim Blink, animal communicator and pet expert
and host of Animal Rights on pet Life Radio. Have
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Speaker 1 (16:20):
You'll be glad you did.
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Let's talk past, Let's done pest on pat.
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Life Radio, Hetline.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
Radio, Petlight Radio dot Com.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Welcome back to Animal Lights on Petlight Radio. Enue our
conversation with author, writer, and animal lover and priest and
a man of many, many talents.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
And many worlds. Ease travel.
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Of course we're talking about William Miller. Talked to him
about his book The Gospel according to Sam, the twentieth
anniversary edition.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
So you mentioned before the you know, in the first
segment that you talked a little bit about the edition
that's coming out, the twentieth anniversary edition, writing some new stories.
How did you decide which of those stories you should
come up with? What was your was a reflection point?
Had you already started writing some stories made for another
book something of this work? How did that come about?
Speaker 6 (17:15):
Yeah, Well, I did write some stories several years ago
about my experience with not Willie, Willie Nelson or Willie,
and that book was called The Last Hallelujah, and it
was the story of our life together and a number
of the dogs that had come into my life. And
so just picking up where Sam left off was really
(17:39):
a pretty natural thing, and so I started with the
story of the Hawaiian Airdale because he immediately followed Sam.
When I moved to this place, you know, forty five
hundred miles away, didn't know a soul, didn't have a friend,
and Willie appeared. And then over the years, as Sam,
(18:03):
I believe, would send these other dogs into my life,
I could just share some of the things that they
taught me, some of the things I learned from them.
And then recently when I moved back to Texas. When
I first moved back to this little town called round Top,
I lived on a We called it a ranch by
Texas standards, it's really not a ranch, but I took
(18:27):
a few liberties. We called it the Freebird Ranch, and
it was inhabited by the most beautiful multitude of winged
creatures you have ever seen. And you know, we wanted
to be good stewards of the of the land, and
so we would put out bird seed and bird bats,
(18:47):
and I began to appreciate the tiniest part of the
animal world that I think I had overlooked for a
long time. All of my dogs have been big guys,
and so you know, to see such beauty and such
wonder in these tiny winged creatures, that provided, you know,
(19:10):
a whole different level and kind of inspiration. And then
I also reflected back because this is just an interesting
Some might say coincidence, I would say, sarahendipity. But when
Sam was alive and I moved to Houston and Sam
was still living in Austin, the halfway point is about
(19:31):
twenty miles from where I'm sitting right now, and that
was the place where Sam and his little brother, Andrew
Jack Jackson were exchanged. And now here I am living
just a few minutes from that sacred spot, because it
(19:51):
really was a sacred spot when the animals are handed
off and you get to keep them for a short time.
And so one of the reflections is actually about meeting
at that halfway point and the significance of that, I
think in our culture, in our world and in our time,
where we want people to come to us and come
(20:13):
to our view rather than meeting them halfway. And so
that became the next to last story in the new edition,
and it's a story that really spoke powerfully to me
and I hope you know, to the readers. And then
the last story was really a little bit about my
own journey. I recently went through a breakup and I
(20:37):
found myself for the first time in my adult life
without a dog. And that's a very difficult place to be,
especially when you're in a difficult place already. And then
what do you know, A dog appears in my life.
And he is a dog who comes from the island
of Kawaii, and a friend of mine rescued him at
(21:02):
just the time that I was beginning to think about
how much I needed an animal, and he's going to
arrive here in Texas the end of the month, just
before we release the twentieth edition, twentieth anniversary edition. And
so that last story, which is called Lost Dog, Found Man,
(21:28):
is really kind of my own personal reflection on, you know,
being in my own difficult place and then this lost
dog who was found I think it's going to come
here and find me.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
I love it, love it, love the title.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
I'll look forward to that for sure. Thank you, Thank you.
Let's talk about them just writing in general.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Obviously been writing for quite a while and been Puttnam
multi published author.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
What is your craft?
Speaker 3 (21:53):
What would you call your craft? I mean, I guess
I should phrase it. Are you a pitch it over
the fence type of person?
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Are you?
Speaker 3 (22:00):
You are writing in journals all the time? Once you
get a book deal, are you five thousand words a day?
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Do or die?
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Or like me, I've got.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
One week left and I got to get the same
out the door.
Speaker 6 (22:11):
Yeah, deathlines are helpful, I think you know. So as
a minister, I'm writing every week because I'm writing a
sermon or a meditation or a reflection, and so I'm
in the practice of writing, but I'm not necessarily in
the practice of writing a book. And sometimes that's challenging
(22:33):
in my life because I have a full time job
and a lot of creative energy goes into my vocation
as a minister, And so what I have to do
is carve out chunks of time in my schedule where
I can really get into a writing routine. I'm an
early bird and so I really I love to go
(22:57):
away for a couple of weeks at a time, and
I do journal and I am, you know, writing writing
down stories and thinking about the world as I experience
it daily. And you know what those moments are trying
to teach me or what spiritual lesson they're imparting for
me or my congregation, and so I have the material,
(23:21):
but then taking those spaces, whether it's being a part
and then having that time off in a way. And
I just try to get into a routine where I'm
writing every day, and I love to get up early.
I love to reflect and read a bit, and then
I try to write most of the day until about
(23:43):
three o'clock in the afternoon, and then I shut off
my computer or close my tablet, whatever it is, and
I go get out in nature and just take a
walk or go for you know, a trip on a
kayak or whatever it is where I'm outside and just
my mind can can declutter a bit. But it really
(24:03):
is about I think, discipline and routine for me and
just carving out that space and time.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Well there's you know there. I always say, there's no
right or wrong answer. You know, it's just a matter
of yeah, you know, spend that time to the quiet
is a big part of it. I call meditation. Anything
allows your conscious mind to shut off, allows your subconscious
to open up. So you know, spending time.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
In nature is a great way to do it.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Kayaking, these type of things wonderful, but there's no right
or wrong answer. I guess the only wrong answer is
you know, if you're not getting your word out in
some fashion, then you know you're not sharing with others.
So you know, get it out there, whatever it may be,
and it will help you out as well as others.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
Yes, and I think it's important, you know, to be
consistently paying attention. And I find that having you know,
a little journal with me or you know, I can
even use my phone these days with technology, but just
to write down that moment and that exp pos in
that encounter before it's lost, and then go back and
(25:06):
look at those and mind them and see how they
speak to you, you know, in a different time, in
a different way.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
Love it, Love it perfect well, everybody, keep your eye out,
get your orders in.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Everybody.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Go pick up a copy of the Gospel Accord into
Sam and then pick up the twentieth anniversary copy, so
you have a duel set on your book case.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
It will be great shape. William tell us a little
bit about where.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
People can find out more about you, see what's going
on track, what's happening within your world or with the book.
Speaker 6 (25:32):
Yeah, thank you, So I'm on social media. William Miller,
author and Sam has his own page called The Gospel
according to Sam, and I'm on Instagram Cahunapadre one. And
then I have a website that will be relaunched very soon.
It's called fatherbill dot net and that has all the
(25:56):
books that I've written, meditations that I've written, where I'll
be speaking, and different book events or concerts or all
the things that I'm involved in.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Nice we'll look forward to that for sure, all right,
So everybody pick up a copy of the book, it's
The Gospel according to Sam, the twentieth anniversary edition, and
pick up all the other wonderful works that William Miller
has done. And we'll be doing so. Bill, thanks for
coming on the show. We really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
I'm excited to see the copy of the book and
look forward to hearing more stories and seeing what what
else Sam sends your way.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
You never know.
Speaker 6 (26:33):
And thank you so much. Tim. Thank you for all
you do.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
You're welcome, You're welcome. Well, we're coming to the end
of the show today.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
I want to thank everyone for listening to Animal Rights.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
On pet Life Radio.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
I want to thank the producers and sponsors for making
the show possible. I've got questions ideas or comments for
the show.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
You can go to pet Life Radio.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Dot com and we'll answer your questions, entertain your comments,
and bring on the people you want to hear from
most And while you're there, check out all the other
workfol shows host. It's a cornucopia barking fun that's a Petlife.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
Radio dot com. So until next time, we write a
great story about the animals in your life, and who knows,
you may be the next guest on animal rights of
pet Life Radio.
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Have a great day.
Speaker 5 (27:15):
Let's talk pets every week on demand only on Petlife
Radio dot com.
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