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| Name: |
Louis
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Age: |
Three years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Chocolate Lab, German Shorthaired Pointer |
| Home: |
Ithaca, New York, USA |
I
can still picture the first moment I saw Louis sitting in his Kennel at
the SPCA. He was all by himself just sitting there, staring directly at
me, through the windows of the other kennels. I looked and thought, "he
looks super cute, but he's still a puppy" and I had not planned on getting
a puppy. When I went over and read his info and found that he was almost
two years old, I was very excited. However, the sign also said that it was
his first day in the kennel (coming from foster care) and that he would be
available for viewing in day or two after he adjusted. However, the very
nice girl who worked at the SPCA just happened to be walking by at the
moment and said she could make an exception if we really wanted to see
him. My girlfriend and niece were with me and we all agreed we really
wanted to go in. We went in and it was love at first sight. Louis jumped
up and hugged me! My niece actually photographed that moment as she is
quite handy with her cellphone camera. I'm so glad to have that moment
captured. He just felt like my dog, from the very first moment. We decided
then and there that he was the one we'd been searching for and after
tracking down the nice girl who let us in, we told her we wanted to take
him home.
Louis came home a few days later (he needed to be neutered) and has been
an incredible source of real joy ever since. He was quite thin (he was a
stray) and had dry skin, but after a few months of good, healthy food and
a lot of attention, he filled in nicely and developed a beautiful shiny
coat. He is one of the softest dogs I have ever petted and is now in
perfect health. He is a true lover and a major cuddler. When he wants to
be petted, he comes up and puts his nose under your hand and pushes up so
you can pet him. He loves to roll on his back and get tummy rubs (as he
did on that first day) and he is now trained to do many tricks to get his
favorite cookies. My mom sends him homemade peanut butter "cookies" and
those are his absolute favorite. He has a bed in the living room, a bed in
the bedroom and a kennel in the office so that no matter what room we're
in, he has his own special spot. At first, I thought he would have to be
kenneled during the day, but after one day, I knew that he was no problem.
He has been naughty a few times however and now when we leave to go out,
we know we can't leave any articles of clothing out. He starts out
cuddling with them, but then eventually chews them up (earning his
nickname "Chewie" or "Chewie Louis"). Otherwise, he is a total and
complete joy to have around and every morning starts out on a high note
now because of his cute little wake up style. He jumps his feet up on the
bed and rolls to one side, pawing you till you wake up. He pokes his nose
up under my girlfriend's sleep mask to unveil her. She wakes up laughing
every morning because of this. It's incredibly cute and makes that early
morning walk all the easier.
Louis has rescued us just as much, if not more, as we rescued him. Both of
us were struggling to start an exercise regiment and Louis has been an
incredible asset and motivator in that process. We have lost over 100lbs
combined due to changing our diet and walking Louis three to four miles a day. He is
always willing to go for walks and loves to hunt and point (being mainly
German Shorthaired Pointer). He sniffs everything in depth and can never
seem to get enough. All the neighbors love him and he has made an impact
on our relationship with them. Since we're out walking all the time, we
have met all the other dog owners in the neighborhood and have developed
relationships with people we've seen around for ten years, but never really
took the time to get to know. Louis is the source of a major turnaround in
our lives and I could never imagine going back to a life without him. He's
the most special dog in the universe to us, for all the above reasons.
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