Hello.

I've never ever told this story to anyone but I've kept it in my mind since happening in 1998.

I just want to preface by saying I've never held a belief in ghosts/afterlife/anything of the sort either past or present. Even this event is not enough to make me believe ghosts are real however I do not have any material explanation for the event...

It was mid-August 1998, I was 22 years old and working a summer job at a gas station before heading back to school (I had started college late as I fumbled about for a year or two after high school.)

Anyways on a nice warm summer nite cars would come and go, as we had a full-service pump I'd walk out of my little storefront for every car and pump their gas. The weather was perfect, not too hot when normally it would be blisteringly hot that time of year.

Around the side of the building were the entrances to the bathrooms, I headed that way to use the restroom when I saw two "hippie-looking" teens with a dog, a boy & a girl. I grew up listing to bands like the Grateful Dead and Phish, still do. And while I don't present as a "hippie" I feel very comfortable in those circles. I could tell these kids had probably been hitchhiking, they didn't look destitute but they were dirty and probably a bit hungry. Even though I was probably no more than 5 years older than them I felt bad and wanted to help. I put a few bucks in the vending machine, bought them some snacks and drinks, and gave the dog a bowl of water. They were very thankful, and the doggo was very friendly. We chatted for a min then the boy said... "the dog is not ours, he was just hanging out here. He was friendly so we just started playing and patting him" That was strange of course but not too crazy, right? Dogs get lost all the time, he was friendly and didn't look mistreated so I just assumed he had gotten lost... oh and he had a collar and tag! Cool, I can find his owner. Oh and his name, Sam! Important to note that he would respond to me calling his name, Sam.

A car pulled up to the full-service pump so I ran out and did my thing. Last I looked the hippies and Sam were still hanging out at this time sorta off to the side of the store, near where I first saw them. I finished up with the car, and turned around to head back to the storefront... No hippies anywhere in sight. Nowhere, just gone. Perhaps they hitched a ride while I was turned around but it was only a minute. When I walked out to the street I could see quite a ways in both directions, they were nowhere to be seen. This is the last I saw of the two hippie kids, I hope they are okay.

Sam was still there, but it was getting late. I wanted to help. I decided to call the local police who gave me the phone number of the animal shelter. I called over there and the way that it was handled seemed very odd at the time and still does but I wanted to help so I went along with it. Sam was a good boy after all. The person I spoke with at animal control looked up Sam's info based on the dog tag number. This person instead of saying "hold on we will send out an officer or even just call the owner" Instead they gave me Sam's owner's phone number and told me to call?!?

I called the number and an older man politely answered the phone. I explained I had Sam, I gave him water and he's just hanging out with me here but the gas station is closing soon so it would be best for you to come pick up Sam. He seemed perplexed and asked me to describe Sam to him. I did, Sam looked like a mutt/lab mix, darkish brown coat, med-large size dog, very friendly disposition. Just a regular ol' "good boy." What the man said next has been rattling around my brain for the last 24 years. The man said, "We had a dog named Sam, but he passed away a good 10 years ago" I was dumbfounded and all I could do was describe Sam again, to which the man said ya that sounds like Sam but no way it could be, it just can't be. He was polite and we talked back and forth a bit more but with no resolution, we hung up.

I was unsure about what to do next. But I quickly realized that there was nothing for me to do... Just like the hippie kids, Sam was gone… nowhere to be seen.

He just vanished.