Remembering Lou

Lou's love of sticks started as soon as we brought him home. When we cleaned up the yard recently we make a bonfire of all the sticks Lou had dragged in. Lou was so distressed we thought he might go in after them!

Sydney and Lou - best buddies from the start.

Lou's other playmate was his cousin (my dad's dog), Jake. Those two would literally "puppy-play" until they were sick.

This is a picture of Lou at Trout Brook, a dog-friendly conservation area in Town. Lou ran regularly with Jon and I on the trails here. He also loved to hike with Sydney here rain, snow or shine. He would come home muddy, drenched from swimming and very tired.

Does it count as tormenting if they're sleeping?

For some reason, Lou had to rub his head and nose after he ate. It was very amusing. We dubbed it "snerggies" because that's the growling sort of sound he would make while doing it.

If Lou had it his way, he would have slept in Sydney's bed everynight. As he grew (and got dirtier with the arrival of spring) we just couldn't tolerate this and we trained him to stay off her bed at night. When her door opened in the morning though he burst into her room and onto her bed for a thousand wet kisses.

It was very easy to teach Lou tricks. He knew lots of them. This is a picture of "both paws." He was, by far, the most intelligent dog that I have ever had. Just last week Jon and I were marvelling over how many words Lou knew - we counted about 30.

For a while Sydney was convinced she could teach him to answer the telephone. In this picture she's dangling it from the ceiling and instructing him about what to do if it rings.

She did succeed in getting Lou to do many things she wanted, mostly by bribing him with treats. This picture is from a show Sydney and Lou put on for Jon's parents, Jon and I.

When Sydney had pneumonia this winter Lou was very concerned. He spent a lot of time lying with her (or on her) on the couch. He certainly lifted her spirits and made those sick days more pleasant.

Do you know many dogs that would let a little girl dress them up like a cowgirl? I didn't think so. One of Lou's most endearing features was his tolerance towards and absolute love of Sydney.

Lou we miss you so much. Thanks for all the happiness you brought us!