10 things you never wanted to know about Lou

We have had a sad week at our house. Lou, our faithful friend and family member, finally chased his last truck. Our children have really taken this hard, as have the grownups. He was a true member of our family. Our two youngest have never known life without him, and Morgan had such a special bond with him. She was 5 when he joined our family.

I found this list of things about Lou in my blog drafts that I had started and never finished. So as a tribute to the best dog in the world, here it is. We love you, Lou.



1. Lou won Big Worthy and Morgan's heart at the mall. The shelter was having an adoption day, and my husband was a big softie. This is the same man who had vowed never to own another dog.

2. Lou is named after the Beagle on the movie "Cats and Dogs."

3. Lou has a serious fan base in Blanding. He has been spotted all over town. He goes on walks with the locals, and we're sure he is fed by several families.

4. Every once in awhile we get a call from someone who says they have "found" Lou. We just tell them to let him go, and he always comes home.

5. Grandpa Winston is Lou's favorite. When Lou is feeling lonely at our house, he just trots over to grandpa's and knocks on the door.

6. Lou is very loyal. He sleeps downstairs in our bedroom, but he won't go down until we are both down there. It makes him nervous when one of us is still up. He watches the door and paces until we are both safe and sound. Then he can sleep.

7. Lou loves to chase trucks and eat their tires. Of course, they stop because they don't want to run him over. This gives him the perfect opportunity to bite their tires as much as he pleases. It is completely humiliating.

8. Lou has more than 9 lives. One day we got a call from a friend of ours who lives across town. She said Lou had been hit by a car, and he was lying dead in the road with all four feet in the air. Of course, we all started to cry. Big Worthy went over to get him so we could give him a proper burial. By the time he got there, Lou was up and walking around.

9. We have paid for Lou a million times over by springing him from dog jail.

10. We thought Lou had cancer a few months ago, but he is just fine. We paid a pretty penny to find out he is fine, though. And the vet found a bb bullet in his leg.

11. Watch out what you feed Lou. He can clear a room with his natural perfume.

12. Here is another example of Lou's lives. He disappeared once for more than 3 days. We were pretty sure we would never see him again. We had let Moog know that she should not expect him to come back. We were sad, until we heard a whine at the back door. There he was, thirsty, tired, and starving. He ate, drank and spent several days sleeping. His paws were sore and bleeding. We're sure he was taken away in a car and was able to get away and find his way home.

13. Lou answers to many names, including LouAnn, Louise, Loser, and Lucifer.

14. Lou likes our cats but they don't like him back.

15. Lou is a part of our family.