Louie

Ann and Louie

Louie entered our lives as a foster dog, looking at us from behind the shelter's chain link. At home, we began noticing things. Louie hated commotion or raised voices. He was lethargic, arthritic, and never ran. We figured he must be pretty old. He did not play, didn't know how. If you said "no" and moved toward him, WATCH OUT. He would not allow us to touch his tail or hind end. When I say he would not "allow us" to do certain things, some might think we just needed to grow backbones and show this dog who was in charge. Well, Louie changed all of our ideas about this - he has changed our lives and made us better people. He might convince you too. It became obvious that someone had been beating the tar out of this dog on a regular basis. He had reason to be afraid. We began thinking in terms of giving Louie a nice last few months - he'd either fall apart from age or become so dangerous he'd need to be euthanized. Adopting him out was out of the question. Tragically, Louie's previous "family" sued to get him back, and WON, as the boyfriend who had been beating all of them was gone. After a few months, they abandoned him again. We went to pick him up. When he appeared from the van, Louie was filthy. He looked awful and hopeless, head hung low, looking at the ground. But then he recognized our voices approaching. He lifted his head. In an instant, he went from looking like he was at death's door to having the light of life in his eyes, a different dog. I have had few moments like that in life. When our eyes met, he knew he was saved, and I promised he would never have to go back - we both understood this in that moment. We were a family now. When our vet told us that Louie was only about 4, and you could have knocked me over with a feather. We learned that a gentle touch and positive training works. We learned that patience pays off in the dividends of love. He blossomed as we made him feel safe and showed him that we would help him understand what we wanted of him and help him be successful at it rather than punishing him for his mistakes. We learned that a dog that is broken can become whole again, and can keep getting better year after year. Over time, we watched Louie become a dog again. He learned to play with our other dogs. He ran and rolled in piles of leaves. A love of all creatures that must have always resided inside Louie resurfaced. He became a Therapy Dog. Louie's body showed the wear of a tough life. His hind end didn't always work anymore, but there was never a complaint when he fell down, ever joyful and appreciative of life. After six wonderful years together, we helped Louie find the Rainbow Bridge on July 5th, 2009.