Sam Gallup bolted New York for a new home, a new life and a new job in Montana.
One 10-hour shift later, he was facing the same old problem: Unemployment.
RELATED: FEAR GRIPS MARKETThe 24-year-old upstate mine worker traveled 2,000 miles to find work only to get laid off after one day on the payroll of the Stillwater Mining Co.
"It's kind of a dead-end situation," Gallup said Thursday.
"Job security? There is none. Right now, I'm in the financial situation of losing everything."
RELATED: WHAT ECONOMIC CRISIS? STARS PARTY HARD AT $20M BASHGallup received the bad news Monday night after returning home from his first and last day of work.
Standing on the porch of a friend's house in Billings, he noticed a voice mail on his cell phone.
Seconds later, in disbelief, the recorded voice said he was out of work - again.
"I was a little upset," he said in an even tone. "The fellow that called, he apologized several times, but that was it."
In August, the St. Lawrence Zinc company in upstate New York laid off Gallup.
Stillwater recruited him and some co-workers willing to leave their homes for Montana.
"I packed up everything I owned in my car and drove out here," he said from Montana.
"Took me three days. Then I drove two hours to work, two hours home, with a 10-hour shift between."
And that was it.
Gallup's mother, Maryann, said her son was keeping a brave front.
"He's very devastated," she said from their home in upstate Gouverneur, which is about a snowball's throw from Canada.
"From knowing Sam, I think the world has crumbled underneath his feet."
Stillwater, which mines platinum and palladium at two sites in southern Montana, laid off more than 500 employees this week from a work force of 1,770.
Gallup receives his one-day check on Dec. 1.
It can't come soon enough; the miner acknowledges "my capital funds are exhausted" - he's flat broke.
For now, Gallup is living in a friend's finished basement and hoping to move his fiancée and her son to Montana.
He was back on the job hunt Thursday - and optimistic about the future.
"You've gotta keep your head up," Gallup said. "Life is a garden. You gotta dig it."
Courtesy Larry Mcshane
lmcshane@nydailynews.com
You can pick up after your pooch and make sure he plays nice, but it's your dog's breed that truly speaks volumes about what kind of owner you are.
Got a Beagle? You are inquisitive and willing to learn new things. The Beagle is constantly questioning. If you own one of these dogs, chances are you are a curious, willful person who is loyal to friends, tough on enemies and pretty stubborn.
Those with Cocker Spaniels are family oriented and nurturing. Gentle, playful and sweet in demeanor, they are the perfect size for smaller children. Owners of these dogs display the same affectionate qualities as their pups.
In Pictures: What Your Dog Says About You
In Pictures: America's Most Popular Pups
It appears affection--and an affinity for a pet--go a long way when times are tough.
"Pets have become more like family than an animal left in the dog house in the backyard," says Daisy Okas, assistant vice president of communications at the American Kennel Club (AKC). "Just as people are not going to skimp on their children, they are not going to cut back on their dog."
Humans are so devoted to their canine counterparts that despite the economic downturn, it seems pet owners aren't willing to cut back on canine-related expenditures.
In fact, spending on pet supplies and over-the-counter medicines is expected to reach $10.5 billion by the end of this year, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers' Association. In 2007, spending reached about $9.9 billion.
Comment On This Story What does this say about us?
"Animals provide a consistency to the ups and downs of our life, whether that's the downturn in the economy or job stress," says Shari Curran, director of Therapet Foundation, a Whitehouse, Texas-based not-for-profit that provides animal-assisted therapy. "They don't care whether you won or lost a bunch of money in the stock market; they provide unconditional love and react the same way every time you come home."
Dogs are such an important part of many families that even President-elect Obama felt his daughters would need a furry friend when they move into the White House. They are likely to choose a hypo-allergenic breed like a poodle or miniature schnauzer, given his daughter Malia's allergies.
But the breed the Obamas choose will also affect how they are perceived by the country. That's because owners typically identify with animals who have similar personality traits, quirks and physical activity levels, Okas says. To identify which breeds bestow which qualities, we asked the AKC and ASPCA for insight. Their answers are based on scientific studies of breed behavior and the buying habits of pet owners.
Canine Characteristics
Owners of Golden Retrievers, for instance, tend to be social butterflies who prefer to be in group settings, while Chihuahua owners are often mischief-makers, taking after their high-energy canine.
"All toy breeds were bred to be companions," says Okas. "So Chihuahuas, along with Pomeranians and Maltese, may have a hard time being home alone all day."
Poodles, America's choice for the next presidential dog according to a survey conducted in August of more than 42,000 Americans by the AKC, tend to have owners who are detail-oriented and appreciate art and culture.
But the type of breed does not always tell the whole story.
Dr. Emily Weiss, Ph.D, certified applied animal behaviorist and senior director of shelter research and development at the ASPCA, advises those seeking a new member of the family "look at the individual dog and their personality and characteristics, not just the generalizations of the breed."
Since each individual dog has its own unique personality, regardless of its breed, it's essential you spend time with the pup in order to evaluate if its energy level, amount of training and disposition are a good fit.
Courtesy Jeanine Poggi
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