Sam Merlotte is the owner of Merlotte's Bar and Grill in Bon Temps, where Sookie Stackhouse works as a waitress. He is easy-going and seems like a classic nice guy.Sam has a crush on Sookie, much to the annoyance of her vampire boyfriend Bill Compton. Sam dotes on Sookie and is very protective of her, in a surprising way. Sam is unsure of himself when it comes to romance and tends to fall for women with major baggage.Background: Sam does not initially know much about his background, other than the fact he was adopted. His adoptive family later abandoned him when they discovered that he was a shapeshifter and could assume the form of animals. As a teenager, he was left to fend for himself. His formative encounters included a brush with Maryann Forrester, an immortal being who worshiped the god Dionysus, and a negative experience with werewolves.When he later meets his birth family, they are different from what he expected in more ways than one.He is fond of border collies and has a strong connection to animals, dogs in particular.